any large whalebone whale of the family Balaenidae. They are grey or black, have a large head, and, in most, no dorsal fin, and are hunted as a source of whalebone and oil
See also bowhead
Word origin
C19: perhaps so named because it was right for hunting
right whale in American English
US
any of a family (Balaenidae) of large-headed baleen whales lacking a dorsal fin andlongitudinal wrinkles on the throat and chest