Meaning & use
baleen
The rows of stiff, comb-like plates in the mouths of certain whales, used to filter food from water.
See it in a sentence
Baleen allows the whale to strain tiny shrimp and plankton out of huge mouthfuls of seawater.
Scientists examined the baleen to estimate the age of the stranded whale.
A note on using this word
Baleen is made of keratin, the same protein found in human fingernails and hair.
Words with a similar meaning
whalebone
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