orca

Borrowed from Latin orca (“tun, cask; whale”), see there for more. Although the origin is obscure, the sometimes-cited association with orcus (“underworld”) is folk-etymology.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹkə/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɔː(ɹ).kə/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)kə

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orca (plural orcas or orca)

1. A sea mammal (Orcinus orca) related to dolphins and porpoises, commonly called the killer whale.

   Synonyms: grampus, killer whale, blackfish

• ork, orc

• AOCR, Arco, Caro, Cora, Roca, acro, acro-, arco, ocra

From Latin orca.

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɾ.kə/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈɔr.kə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɾ.ka/

orca f (plural orques)

1. orca

• “orca” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

From Latin orca.

orca f (plural orcas)

1. orca, killer whale

   Synonym: candorca

• “orca” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

A compound of orr +‎ száj (orrszáj), transformed to orca over the centuries.

• IPA^(key): [ˈort͡sɒ]
• Hyphenation: or‧ca

orca (plural orcák)

1. (archaic) cheek

   Synonym: arc (face)

   • 1844, Sándor Petőfi, János vitéz, chapter 4, stanza 5, lines 1–2:

     „Hej, Iluskám! hogyne volnék én halovány, / Mikor szép orcádat utószor látom tán...”

   • 1872, Mór Jókai, Az arany ember, part 1, chapter 2:

     A kormányos ölnyi termetű kemény férfi volt, erősen rezes arcszínnel, a két orcáján a pirosság vékony hajszálerek szövevényében fejezte ki magát, miktől a szeme fehére is recés volt.

• álorca

From Old Irish orca.

orca f (genitive singular orcan, nominative plural oircne)

1. (anatomy, literary) calf (of leg)

   Synonyms: colpa, pluc

• "orca" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• C. Marstrander, E. G. Quin et al., editors (1913–76), “orca”, in Dictionary of the Irish Language: Based Mainly on Old and Middle Irish Materials, Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, →ISBN
• Entries containing “orca” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “orca” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔrka/

orca f (plural orche)

1. killer whale; orca

   Synonym: balena assassina

• acro, arco, caro, ocra, roca

Either borrowed from Ancient Greek ὕρχη (húrkhē, “earthen fish-salting vessel”), or else both borrowed separately from a substrate Mediterranean language. The sense of whale is likely influenced by ὄρυξ (órux, “pickaxe; oryx; narwhale”).

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈor.ka/, [ˈɔr.ka]

orca f (genitive orcae); first declension

1. orc, orca (kind of whale)
2. butt, tun (large-bellied vessel)

First-declension noun.

• orca in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• orca in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• orca in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• orca in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• orca in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• orca in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

orca f (plural orcas)

1. orca

   Synonym: baleia-assassina

From Latin orca.

• IPA^(key): /ˈoɾka/
• Homophone: horca

orca f (plural orcas, masculine orco, masculine plural orcos)

1. orca, killer whale

   Synonym: ballena asesina

• arco, caro, cora, raco, roca

• “orca” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.