whalebone
noun [ U ] uk/ˈweɪl.bəʊn/ us/ˈweɪl.boʊn/
鲸须
a strong, flexible material (= one that is able to bend) found as several hanging pieces in the upper part of the mouth of some types of whale, used in the past for example for making corsets (= a tight piece of underwear worn to make the waist appear smaller)
The blue whale collects its food on a curtain of baleen or whalebone in its mouth. 蓝鲸用嘴里的一排鲸须猎食。
Whalebone provided structural support for corsets and helped to round out voluminous Victorian skirts. 鲸须为紧身胸衣提供了结构上的支持，并让维多利亚时代丰满的裙装显得更加圆润。
- More examples
- The rising demand for whalebone (baleen) helped to keep the whaling industry alive.
- Enterprising sailors carved whalebone to make scrimshaw gifts for mothers, sisters, and faithful sweethearts.
- Baleen whales, such as the blue whale and hump back, use their vast curtains of whalebone to sieve a living from the sea.