White whale
/waɪt ˈweɪl/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Synonym of beluga (“the beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas, a cetacean found in the Arctic Ocean”)
"The English called the beluga the "white whale", a name often still used (and not to be confused with the white whale of Moby-Dick, which was an albino sperm whale)."
- 2 small northern whale that is white when adult wordnet
- 3 Any whale of the family Monodontidae, which comprises the beluga whales and narwhals (Monodon monoceros), and some extinct species.
- 4 An obsession, a monomania. figuratively
"No … no sapphires. It looks like Lester Velasquez was chasing his white whale. There never were any sapphires inside that diner."
- 5 A printing plate, used to manufacture a particular sports card, that is then issued as a collectible itself. figuratively
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The English called the beluga the "white whale", a name often still used (and not to be confused with the white whale of Moby-Dick, which was an albino sperm whale)."
Etymology
From white + whale. The figurative senses refer to the novel Moby-Dick (1851) by the American writer Herman Melville (1819–1891), in which Captain Ahab relentlessly pursues a rare albino sperm whale.