grampus

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See also: Grampus

English

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Orcinus orca
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

Etymology

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From Middle English *grampas, grappays, grapas, graspeys, from Anglo-Norman grampais, Old French graspois, craspois (“whale, (salted) whale meat; blubber; seal”), from Medieval Latin craspicis (literally “fat fish”), from Latin crassus (“fat”) + piscis (“fish”).

Noun

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grampus (plural grampuses)

  1. The killer whale, Orcinus orca.
    • 1789, Olaudah Equiano, chapter 3, in The Interesting Narrative, volume I:
      Some time after this we saw some very large fish, which I afterwards found were called grampusses.
    • 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 19, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
      The Governor will blow like an old grampus, I know he will,—well, we must stop till he gets his wind again.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
      ‘No. I only opened the door a foot and put my head in. The street lamps shine into that room. I could see him. He was all right. Sleeping like a great grampus. Poor, poor chap.’
    • 1980, Ian Chappell, Chappelli has the last laugh, page 39:
      Blowing like a grampus from every orifice, I leaned on a passing wave which dumped me[.]
  2. Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus, with a blunt nose.
  3. The hellbender salamander, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis.
  4. giant whip scorpion (Mastigoproctus giganteus)

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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