See Also: Porpoise(medicine)
porpoise(dictionary)
porpoise(encyclopedia)
porpoise(dictionary)

porpoise (iou)



porpoise noun & verb. ME.
[Old French po(u)rpois, -peis, -pais from Proto-Romance comb. of Latin porcus pig & piscis fish, for Latin porcus marinus lit. 'sea-hog'.]
A. noun.
Any of various small delphinoid whales of the family Phocaenidae, with a blunt rounded snout and usu. low triangular dorsal fin. ME.
A sharp dive by an aircraft or submarine. E20.
b. verb intrans. Move like a porpoise; spec. (a) (of an aircraft, esp. a seaplane) touch the water or ground and rise again; (b) (of a submarine etc.) alternately rise to the surface of the water and submerge. E20.