Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Porpoise"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Porpoise \Por"poise\, n. [OE. porpeys, OF. porpeis, literally,
hog fish, from L. porcus swine + piscis fish. See {Pork}, and
{Fish}.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) Any small cetacean of the genus {Phoc[ae]na},
especially {P. communis}, or {P. phoc[ae]na}, of Europe,
and the closely allied American species ({P. Americana}).
The color is dusky or blackish above, paler beneath. They
are closely allied to the dolphins, but have a shorter
snout. Called also {harbor porpoise}, {herring hag},
{puffing pig}, and {snuffer}.
2. (Zo["o]l.) A true dolphin ({Delphinus}); -- often so
called by sailors.
{Skunk porpoise}, or {Bay porpoise} (Zo["o]l.), a North
American porpoise ({Lagenorhynchus acutus}), larger than
the common species, and with broad stripes of white and
yellow on the sides. See Illustration in Appendix.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
porpoise
n : any of several small gregarious cetacean mammals having a
blunt snout and many teeth
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