whalebone Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets
    baleen.

WordNet


Whale"bone` noun
Definitions
  1. A firm, elastic substance resembling horn, taken from the upper jaw of the right whale; baleen. It is used as a stiffening in stays, fans, screens, and for various other purposes. See Baleen. ✍ Whalebone is chiefly obtained from the bowhead, or Greenland, whale, the Biscay whale, and the Antarctic, or southern, whale. It is prepared for manufacture by being softened by boiling, and dyed black.

Webster 1913