sperm whale (English)

Where does "sperm whale" come from?

The English term 'sperm whale' originated as a clipping of the earlier phrase 'spermaceti whale'[1]. This name refers to the waxy, oil-like substance found in the head of these marine mammals, which was historically misidentified by whalers as the creature's semen[1].

Full etymology tree

• sperm whale (English), 'A whale (Physeter macrocephalus), the largest of the toothed whales.'
  • clipping spermaceti whale (English), 'A sperm whale.'
    • compound spermaceti (English), 'A wax obtained from the head of sperm whales and used to make cosmetics, etc.'
    • compound whale (English), 'An overweight person (usually a woman)'

Descendants and derived words

• dwarf sperm whale (English)
• pygmy sperm whale (English)
• sperm whale oil (English)

Sources

1. sperm whale (English) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris