Main Entry:

ror·qual

Pronunciation:

\ˈrȯr-kwəl, -ˌkwȯl\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French, from Norwegian rørhval, from Old Norse reytharhvalr, from reythr rorqual + hvalr whale

Date:

1827

: any of a family (Balaenopteridae) of large baleen whales (as a blue whale or humpback whale) having the skin of the throat marked with deep longitudinal furrows