Main Entry:

¹por·poise

Pronunciation:

\ˈpȯr-pəs\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English porpoys, from Anglo-French porpeis, from Medieval Latin porcopiscis, from Latin porcus pig + piscis fish — more at farrow, fish

Date:

14th century

1: any of a family (Phocoenidae) of small gregarious toothed whales ; especially : a blunt-snouted usually largely black whale (Phocoena phocoena) of the North Atlantic and North Pacific that is five to eight feet (1.5 to 2.4 meters) long2: dolphin 1a(1)