right whale Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun large Arctic whalebone whale; allegedly the `right' whale to hunt because of its valuable whalebone and oil

WordNet


Right" whale`
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) (a) The bowhead, Arctic, or Greenland whale (Balæna mysticetus), from whose mouth the best whalebone is obtained. (b) Any other whale that produces valuable whalebone, as the Atlantic, or Biscay, right whale (Balæna cisarctica), and the Pacific right whale (B. Sieboldii); a bone whale.

Webster 1913