beluga

noun

be·​lu·​ga bə-ˈlü-gə 

1

: a large white sturgeon (Huso huso) of the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and their tributaries

also : caviar processed from beluga roe compare osetra, sevruga

2

[Russian belukha, from belyĭ] : a toothed whale (Delphinapterus leucas) of arctic and subarctic waters having a fusiform body that is about 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 5.0 meters) long and white when mature

called also white whale

Illustration of beluga

• beluga 2

Examples of beluga in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Two bottlenose dolphins living at SeaWorld Orlando died in 2015, and a baby beluga born into captivity at the same park died of unknown causes just moments after it was born in 2017. —Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 20 June 2025

Unlike many other whales, such as orcas and blue whales, belugas have no dorsal fin. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024

The melon is a protrusion on a beluga’s forehead, made up of fatty tissue and muscle. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024

The organization is backed by entities like Linkedin cofounder Reid Hoffman and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and is building a model that analyzes patterns in vocalizations of animals like beluga, crows and zebra finches. —Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Russian, from belyĭ white; akin to Greek phalios having a white spot — more at bald

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for beluga

• pseudotsuga
• tsuga

Kids Definition

beluga

noun

be·​lu·​ga bə-ˈlü-gə 

: a toothed whale that becomes 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 5.0 meters) long and white when adult

called also beluga whale

Etymology

from earlier beluga "a white sturgeon," from Russian beluga (same meaning), from belyǐ "white"