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Meaning of "spermaceti" in the English dictionary

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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SPERMACETI

From Medieval Latin sperma cētī whale's sperm, from spermasperm1 + Latin cētus whale, from Greek kētos.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF SPERMACETI

spermaceti  [ˌspɜːməˈsɛtɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SPERMACETI

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Spermaceti is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SPERMACETI MEAN IN ENGLISH?

spermaceti

Spermaceti

Spermaceti is a wax that is most often found in the head cavities of the sperm whale. Spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head. Two theories for the spermaceti organ's biological function suggest it either controls buoyancy, or acts as a focusing apparatus for the whale's sense of echolocation. There has been concrete evidence to confirm both theories. The buoyancy theory holds that the sperm whale is capable of heating the spermaceti, lowering its density and thus allowing the whale to float; in order for the whale to sink down again, it must take water into its blowhole which cools the spermaceti into a denser solid. This claim, however, has been called into question by recent research which indicates a lack of biological structures to support this heat exchange, as well as the fact the change in density is too small to be meaningful until the organ grows to huge size. The proportion of wax esters in the spermaceti organ increases with the age of the whale: 38-51% in calves, 58-87% in adult females, and 71-94% in adult males.

Definition of spermaceti in the English dictionary

The definition of spermaceti in the dictionary is a white waxy substance obtained from oil from the head of the sperm whale: used in cosmetics, candles, ointments, etc.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH SPERMACETI


Andretti
ænˈdrɛtɪ
betty
ˈbɛtɪ
cavaletti
ˌkævəˈlɛtɪ
confetti
kənˈfɛtɪ
dancettee
ˈdɑːnsɛtɪ
Donizetti
ˌdɒnɪˈzɛtɪ
Getty
ˈɡɛtɪ
jetty
ˈdʒɛtɪ
machete
məˈʃɛtɪ
nettie
ˈnɛtɪ
netty
ˈnɛtɪ
petit
ˈpɛtɪ
petty
ˈpɛtɪ
Rossetti
rɒˈzɛtɪ
SETI
ˈsɛtɪ
spaghetti
spəˈɡɛtɪ
sweaty
ˈswɛtɪ
terzetti
tɜːˈtsɛtɪ
Veneti
vɛˈnɛtɪ
yeti
ˈjɛtɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SPERMACETI

sperm whale
spermaduct
spermagonia
spermagonium
spermaphyte
spermaphytic
spermaries
spermarium
spermary
spermatheca
spermathecal
spermatia
spermatial
spermatic
spermatic cord
spermatic fluid
spermatical
spermatically
spermatid
spermatium

WORDS THAT END LIKE SPERMACETI

acoemeti
anti
arti
avanti
boleti
Bugatti
Ceti
Cincinnati
Djibouti
graffiti
Gujarati
Haiti
Kiribati
Ligeti
Mira Ceti
parti
tapeti
the Veneti
ti
tutti

Synonyms and antonyms of spermaceti in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «spermaceti» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SPERMACETI

Find out the translation of spermaceti to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of spermaceti from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «spermaceti» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

espermaceti
570 millions of speakers

English

spermaceti
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

spermaceti
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

ناطف الحوت
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

спермацет
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

spermaceti
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

spermaceti
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

spermaceti
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Spermaceti
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Walrat
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

鯨ろう
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

경납
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Spermaceti
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

mơ cá voi
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

spermaceti
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

शुक्राणू
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

ispermeçet
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

spermaceti
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

olbrot
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

спермацет
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

spermanțet
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

σπερματσέτο
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

spermaceet
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

spermaceti
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

spermaceti
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of spermaceti

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SPERMACETI»

The term «spermaceti» is regularly used and occupies the 106.253 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
51
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «spermaceti» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of spermaceti
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «spermaceti».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SPERMACETI» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «spermaceti» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «spermaceti» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about spermaceti

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SPERMACETI»

Discover the use of spermaceti in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to spermaceti and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Dissection of a Spermaceti Whale and Three Other Cetaceans
I. — DISSECTION OF A SPERMACETI WHfLE AND THREE OTHER CETACEANS. By J. B. S. Jackson, M. D. Read April 6 and September 7, 1S42. These dissections were made in the spring of 1842, and, following each other in quick ...
John Barnard Swett Jackson, 1845
2
Spermaceti for Inward Bruises: With Prescriptions from the ...
With Prescriptions from the Saddle-bags of Drs. Franklin and Jefferson, Revised and Amended for the Use of Modern Politico, Theologico, Valetudinarians. ft- . SPERMACETI > / V ' . FOR INWARD BRUISES, ']', WITH PRESCRIPTIONS FROM  ...
‎1851
3
Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean
right nasal passage spermaceti organ lower jaw As might be expected, the huge and strange spermaceti organ has attracted its share of scientific attention. Why should an animal carry around an enormous barrel of oil? Why is it partially ...
Hal Whitehead, 2003
4
A Universal formulary
Robert Eglesfeld Griffith. CETACEUM. Spermaceti. A peculiar concrete substance, obtained from the head of Phyteter macroeephalus, or spermaceti whale. It is white, semi-transparent, friable, soil, somewhat oily to the touch, insipid, but with a ...
Robert Eglesfeld Griffith, 1866
5
Handbook of Green Chemicals
See Cetethyldlmonlum bromide Cetyl esters CAS 8002-23-1; 136097-97-7 INS909 Synonyms: Cetyl esters wax; Spermaceti; Spermaceti synthetic; Spermaceti wax; Spermaceti wax, refined; Synthetic spermaceti; Synthetic spermaceti wax ...
‎2004
6
Reports by the Juries on the Subjects in the Thirty Classes ...
The spermaceti is of a dingy-brownish colour, and is readily removed from the bags, which are open at both ends ; in this state it is called 'i bagged sperm." Pressing. — The bagged sperm is then placed in hempen sacks, and subjected to a ...
Great Exhibition (1851, London), 1852
7
Reports by the juries on the subjects in the thirty classes ...
Class XXIX. j PROCESSES OF SPERMACETI REFINERY. 1391 by its own column, readily passes through the bags, which retain the spermaceti. This operation is called bagging, and is performed on a very large scale in the autumn and ...
Great Britain. Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851, 1852
8
Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851: ...
The oil being pressed upon by its own column, readily passes through the bags, which retain the spermaceti. This operation is called bagging, and is performed on a very large scale in the autumn and winter. □ The spermaceti is of a ...
Charles Wentworth Dilke, 1852
9
Introductory Chemistry
This system involves the spermaceti organ found in the whale's head. Spermaceti is a waxy substance with the formula CH3—(CH2)15 ——O—C—(CH2)14—CH3 O which is a liquid above 30 °C. At the ocean surface the spermaceti in the ...
Steven Zumdahl, Donald J. DeCoste, 2010
10
The Elements of Materia Medica and Therapeutics
Commercial spermaceti (cetaceum ; sperma ceti) usually contains a minute portion of sperm oil, which is best removed by boiling in alcohol. Absolutely pure spermaceti (called cetine) is a white laminated substance, without taste, and almost ...
Jonathan Pereira, Joseph Carson, 1843

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SPERMACETI»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term spermaceti is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Ritka ámbráscetkövületeket találtak Panamában
Eredményeik szerint a hangképzésben és echolokációban (tájékozódás visszavert hang révén) szerepet játszó csont, az úgynevezett spermaceti-szerv mérete ... «Híradó, Apr 15»
2
Rare Sperm Whale Fossils Shed Light on Mysterious Family Tree
An analysis of the fossilized skulls indicates that even though they were pygmies, the newly discovered species actually had larger spermaceti, an organ that sits ... «Live Science, Apr 15»
3
VIDEO: Sperm whale crashes research expedition
Sperm whales which can hold their breath for up to 90 minutes at a time, are hunted for an oily substance known as spermaceti. They are considered vulnerable ... «RedOrbit, Apr 15»
4
Fun Science FRIEDay – The Moby Dick of Sperm Whale Encounters
The Sperm whale gets its name from the spermaceti organ which fills most of its huge head. In the 18th and 19th centuries, whalers sought out the Sperm whale ... «Southern Fried Science, Apr 15»
5
Another Carcass of Sperm Whale Washed Ashore
The sperm whales get their name from Spermaceti (literally meaning the sperm of the whale). By-products of the whale include Ambergris or Amber, which was ... «The New Indian Express, Mar 15»
6
This Day in Jewish History / Rhode Island court denies citizenship to …
With the help of his brother, who had become a trader in potash, Aaron set up his own business in Newport, initially trading in spermaceti, wax made from sperm ... «Haaretz, Mar 15»
7
5 delightful science experiments from 100 years ago
Some of his experiments are all but impossible to do today (even if you can find spermaceti candles, you really shouldn't use them), and some of his once ... «The Week Magazine, Aug 14»
8
Why Would Evolution Favor These Insane Adaptations?
But perhaps the most impressive feature, unique to this species, is the spermaceti organ. Filled with a waxy substance, the entire function of this organ is ... «io9, Jul 14»
9
Have You Ever Wondered What Sperm Whales Look Like When …
... sperm whales' heads are also filled with a peculiar substance called spermaceti. Though scientists have yet to understand its purpose, they believe the fluid, ... «First to Know, Jul 14»
10
Why Bitcoin is the Petroleum of Our Time
It was also used to produce the superior spermaceti candles – sturdier candles that burned brighter and with less smell than those from animal fat or beeswax. «CoinDesk, Jun 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Spermaceti [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/spermaceti>. Apr 2024 ».
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