\Ba*leen"\, n. [F. baleine whale and whalibone, L.
balaena a whale; cf. Gr. ?. ] (Zo["o]l. & Com.)
Plates or blades of ``whalebone,'' from two to twelve feet
long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales
({Bal[ae]noidea}) are attached side by side along the upper
jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is
retained in the mouth.