sei whale

noun

ˈsā- How to pronounce sei whale (audio)
ˈsī-
: a widely distributed dark gray baleen whale (Balaenoptera borealis) that has a ridge on the top of the head and may reach a length of nearly 60 feet (18 meters)

called also sei

Examples of sei whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In a study published last week in the journal Nature, scientists studied three larynxes from humpback, minke and sei whales that had died after becoming stranded. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024 By the 1920s, humpbacks were scarce, so the industry began targeting blue whales and then fin and sei whales. Douglas Main, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024 Yet for all scientists have learned about these charismatic leviathans, no one knows how baleen whales (a group that includes humpback, blue, fin and sei whales, among others) find their food in the first place. Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2023 Blue, bowhead, fin and sei whale populations are also growing globally, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Eric Bender, Discover Magazine, 15 Oct. 2021 The sei whale, a somewhat mysterious type of whale that prefer to live in temperate waters in the mid-latitudes, was not yet mature, marine mammal biologists say. oregonlive, 6 Sep. 2020 By the mid-Sixties, however, fin and sei whales were slim pickings in the Antarctic, and the industry inevitably shuttered. Lucy Jakub, Harper's magazine, 2 Mar. 2020 The quota includes 52 minke wales, as well as 150 Bryde’s whales and 25 sei whales. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 1 July 2019 Discussion about Japan’s sei whale compliance is on the CITES agenda. Dina Fine Maron, National Geographic, 16 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sei whale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

partial translation of Norwegian seihval, from sei coalfish + hval whale

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sei whale was in 1912

Dictionary Entries Near sei whale

Cite this Entry

“Sei whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sei%20whale. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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