white whale

== English == === Etymology === From white +‎ whale. The figurative senses refer to the novel Moby-Dick (1851) by the American writer Herman Melville (1819–1891), in which Captain Ahab relentlessly pursues a rare albino sperm whale. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /waɪt ˈweɪl/ (without the wine–whine merger) IPA(key): /ʍaɪt ˈʍeɪl/ Rhymes: -eɪl === Noun === white whale (plural white whales) Synonym of beluga (“the beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas, a cetacean found in the Arctic Ocean”) Synonyms: melonhead, sea canary Any whale of the family Monodontidae, which comprises the beluga whales and narwhals (Monodon monoceros), and some extinct species. (figuratively) An obsession, a monomania. (collectible card games) A printing plate, used to manufacture a particular sports card, that is then issued as a collectible itself. ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === Beluga whale on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “white whale, n.”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.