What Are Orcas?
or·ca [awr-kuh] Show IPA
nounthe killer whale, Orcinus orca.
Origin:
1865–70; < Neo-Latin, Latin; see orc
orca
"killer whale," 1846, introduced as a generic term for the species by J. Richardson & J.E. Gray in "Thezoology of the voyage of HHS 'Erebus' & 'Terror,' " from L. orca "cetacean, a kind of whale." Earlier in Eng.,orc, ork "large whale" (c.1590), from Fr. orque, had been used vaguely of sea monsters
killer whale
nounany of several predatory dolphins, especially the black-and-white Orcinus orca, found in all seas.
Origin:
1880–85
World English Dictionary
killer whale — nkiller , grampus , Also called: orc a predatory black-and-white toothed whale, Orcinus orca, with alarge erect dorsal fin, most common in cold seas: family Delphinidae
nounthe killer whale, Orcinus orca.
Origin:
1865–70; < Neo-Latin, Latin; see orc
orca
"killer whale," 1846, introduced as a generic term for the species by J. Richardson & J.E. Gray in "Thezoology of the voyage of HHS 'Erebus' & 'Terror,' " from L. orca "cetacean, a kind of whale." Earlier in Eng.,orc, ork "large whale" (c.1590), from Fr. orque, had been used vaguely of sea monsters
killer whale
nounany of several predatory dolphins, especially the black-and-white Orcinus orca, found in all seas.
Origin:
1880–85
World English Dictionary
killer whale — nkiller , grampus , Also called: orc a predatory black-and-white toothed whale, Orcinus orca, with alarge erect dorsal fin, most common in cold seas: family Delphinidae
works cited
"orca." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 31 May. 2013. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/orca>.