grampus - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Orcinus orca

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

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”).

grampus (plural grampuses)

  1. A 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.
    • 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. A hellbender salamander, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis.
  4. A giant whip scorpion (Mastigoproctus giganteus)