Phrase guide

whale louse

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A parasitic amphipod crustacean of the family Cyamidae found in skin lesions, genital folds, nostrils and eyes of marine mammals of the order Cetacea, i.e. whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

amphipod crustacean parasitic on cetaceans

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: amphipod

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: valaantäi — parasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae
  • French: pou de baleine — parasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae
  • Polish: wesz wielorybia — parasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae
  • Russian: кито́вая вошь (kitóvaja vošʹ) — parasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae