minke whale

noun

min·​ke whale ˈmiŋ-kə- How to pronounce minke whale (audio)
variants or less commonly minke
: a small gray to black baleen whale (genus Balaenoptera) with a whitish underside and a relatively narrow, pointed snout:
a
: one (B. acutorostrata) chiefly of the northern hemisphere

called also common minke whale, northern minke whale

b
: one (B. bonaerensis) of the southern hemisphere that was formerly classified in the same species as the northern form

called also Antarctic minke, southern minke whale

see rorqual

Illustration of minke whale

Illustration of minke whale

Examples of minke whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, minke whales are not considered endangered. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025 Cases Compared to Past Years Human Limbs Found On California Shoreline Massachusetts has seen the most minke whales washed ashore, at 67. George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024 In a normal year, Girardeau would be pointing out dolphins, along with fin and minke whales, to tourists in search of sea life. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024 The country has annual quotas for the fin whales and minke whales fishermen are allowed to hunt in its waters. Sylvia Hui, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for minke whale 

Word History

Etymology

partial translation of Norwegian minkehval, from minke- (perhaps from Meincke, a crewman of Svend Foyn †1894 Norwegian whaler) + hval whale

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of minke whale was in 1939

Dictionary Entries Near minke whale

Cite this Entry

“Minke whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minke%20whale. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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