Main Entry: ba·leen

Pronunciation: \bə-ˈlēn, ˈbā-ˌlēn\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English baleine whale, baleen, from Latin balaena whale; akin to Greek phallaina whale

Date: 14th century

: a horny keratinous substance found in two rows of transverse plates which hang down from the upper jaws of baleen whales