blowhole

UK/ˈbləʊhəʊl/US/ˈbləʊhəʊl/

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,351 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: blowholes

A blowhole is the nostril on top of a whale's head. Water from the blowhole, the blowhole opened, spot the blowhole.

It is a nostril that migrated to the top of the skull over millions of years, and it is closed by muscle rather than opened by one — the default is shut, which is what keeps water out. Toothed whales have one and baleen whales two. The spout is warm breath condensing.

Definitions of blowhole

1nounblowholeThe nostril on top of a whale's head.B2+
“The whale surfaced and sent a spray of water high into the air from its blowhole.”

blowhole is a nostril.

Where it comes from

Blow plus hole, from the visible spout of breath.

From blow + hole.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Insects & Sea Life

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blowhole in the wild

The Kiama Blowhole is a blowhole in the town of Kiama, New South Wales, Australia.
Kiama Blowhole
Under certain sea conditions, the blowhole can spray 50 litres of water up to 25 metres in the air, in quantities that thoroughly drench any bystanders.
Kiama Blowhole
The geometry of the cave and blowhole along with tide levels and swell conditions determine the height of the spray.
Blowhole (geology)
In cetology, the study of whales and other cetaceans, a blowhole is the hole (or spiracle) at the top of the head through which the animal breathes air.
Blowhole (anatomy)
The posterior placement of blowholes on cetacean heads is believed to minimize the energy used when breathing at the water's surface.
Blowhole (anatomy)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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