narwhal
UK[ˈnɑː.wəl]US[ˈnɑːr.wəl]
n
an arctic whale, the male of which has a long spirally twisted tusk extending forward from its upper jaw.
Etymology
the word 'narwhal' entered english in the 17th century from danish and norwegian 'narhval'. this scandinavian term is believed to derive from old norse 'náhvalr', a compound whose first element 'nár' likely means 'corpse', possibly referring to the whale's pale, mottled skin resembling a drowned body, and 'hvalr' meaning 'whale'. the creature's legendary tusk, historically traded and mythologized as the horn of a unicorn, influenced its name's journey into european languages. thus, the modern term carries the literal, if grim, old norse imagery of a 'corpse-whale' into its present specific zoological designation.
Analysis
this word is a loanword adopted as a single unit from danish/norwegian. it does not contain separable morphemes within modern english spelling.
Examples
the narwhal's long tusk is actually a specialized tooth that can grow up to three meters in length.
inuit communities have hunted the narwhal for centuries for its meat and ivory.
scientists are still studying the precise function of the narwhal's distinctive spiral tusk.