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baleen

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baleen

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

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