grampuses

1 definition found

grampuses - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Grampus \Gram"pus\, n.; pl. Grampuses. [Probably corrupted
     from It. gran pesce great fish, or Sp. gran pez, or Pg. gran
     peixe, all fr. L. grandis piscis. See Grand, and Fish.
     the animal.]
     1. (Zool.) A toothed delphinoid cetacean, of the genus
        Grampus, esp. G. griseus of Europe and America, which
        is valued for its oil. It grows to be fifteen to twenty
        feet long; its color is gray with white streaks. Called
        also cowfish. The California grampus is G. Stearnsii.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A kind of tongs used in a bloomery. [U.S.] Granade