porpoise

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small toothed whale of the family Phocoenidae, typically with a blunt snout

   A harbour porpoise surfaced briefly beside the boat.

2. 2
   verb

   to move through water in a series of shallow leaps above the surface

   The dolphins porpoised alongside the ship's bow.

From Middle English porpeys, through Anglo-Norman and Old French forms ultimately based on Vulgar Latin porcopiscis, literally "pig-fish," from Latin porcus, "pig," + piscis, "fish." The name reflects the animal's rounded body and earlier names such as sea pig and sea hog.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images