英语词汇narwhal的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

narwhal. The arctic narwhal, a whale that grows up to 20 feet long and has an eight-foot-long tusk, takes its name from the Scandinavian nar, “ghost” or “corpse” (for its white color) and whal, the Scandinavian word for whale. The narwhal is probably responsible for the legend of the unicorn so widely believed in medieval times. This “unicorn of the sea” uses its long tusk, or left incisor tooth, which grows outward in a coun- terclockwise spiral, to battle other narwhals. Only the male of the species has the tusk, employing it during the mating season when fighting over females.

词汇	narwhal
词源	narwhal. The arctic narwhal, a whale that grows up to 20 feet long and has an eight-foot-long tusk, takes its name from the Scandinavian nar, “ghost” or “corpse” (for its white color) and whal, the Scandinavian word for whale. The narwhal is probably responsible for the legend of the unicorn so widely believed in medieval times. This “unicorn of the sea” uses its long tusk, or left incisor tooth, which grows outward in a coun- terclockwise spiral, to battle other narwhals. Only the male of the species has the tusk, employing it during the mating season when fighting over females.
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