Meaning
A sea mammal (Orcinus orca) related to dolphins and porpoises, commonly called the killer whale.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
Learned borrowing 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. Doublet of orc.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
blackfishgrampuskillerkiller whaleorc
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 24 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-08-15OACDHIR
- 2026-06-17RABCKLO
- 2026-05-20ABODCKR
- 2026-05-03CATONRU
- 2026-03-05OAURJCL
- 2026-02-16ABCKMOR
- 2025-12-06OYAURCT
- 2025-06-26ACRNIOZ
- 2025-06-05RATCULO
- 2025-02-27CRAOLFI
- 2025-01-24CYATONR
- 2024-11-20RACIKMO
+12 earlier appearances in the archive.