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or·ca

(ôrkə)

A black-and-white toothed whale (Orcinus orca) that feeds on large fish, squid, and marine mammals such as seals and other whales and dolphins. Also called killer whale.

[Latin ōrca, whale, probably alteration (probably influenced by ōrca, vessel) of Greek orux, orug-, pickaxe, a kind of large fish or whale, perhaps from orussein, to dig.]

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orca

Orcinus orca

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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