Baleen

n.

1.

(Zool. & Com.) Plates or blades of "whalebone," from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales (Balænoidea) are attached side by side along the upper jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the mouth.

Noun

1.

baleen - a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets Synonyms: whalebone

horn, whalebone