n.
Pronunciation: ' ro ̇ r-kw ə l, - ˌ kwo ̇ l
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Norwegian r ø rhval, 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