porpoise
/ˈpɔːpəs
/ /ˈpɔːpɔɪs /noun
A small toothed whale with a low triangular dorsal fin and a blunt rounded snout.
- Family Phocoenidae: three genera and several species, in particular the common (or harbour) porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), of the North Atlantic and North Pacific.
- Dolphins, porpoises and even minke whales have all been sighted, while the grey seal colony is always entertaining.
- While the cod, pollack and haddock may have all but disappeared, you stand a good chance of spotting porpoises, minke whales and even the odd beluga.
verb [no object]
Move through the water like a porpoise, alternately rising above it and submerging: the boat began to porpoise badly...
- Interrupted forms of locomotion, including wave-riding and porpoising when near the water surface or gliding when descending on a dive, enables marine mammals to mitigate some of these costs.
- I shot off reel after reel of film on the oceanic birds following the ship, shared in the watch on the depth finder, watched whales in the distance and penguins porpoising through the water like flying fish.
- This fish stripped virtually all the line from the reel and resulted in a fair bit of time to retrieve and then it was off again porpoising across the water - a magnificent sight.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French porpois, based on Latin porcus 'pig' + piscis 'fish', rendering earlier porcus marinus 'sea hog'.
Rhymes
- marrow scoop
- marrowsky
- marrow spoon
- marrow-stem
- marrow-stemmed kale
- marrowy
- marrub
- marrube
- marrubiin
- Marrubium
- Marrucinian
- marry
- Marryat, Frederick
- marryer
- marrying-in
- marrying-out
- marry in haste, repent at leisure
- marry money
- marry with the left hand
- Mars
- Marsala
- Marsalis, Wynton
- Marsanne
- Mars bar
- Mars color