# cachalot

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkaʃəlɒt/

## Definitions
1. The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *kap-
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti
Proto-Italic *kapjō
Old Latin kapiō
Latin capiō
Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr
Proto-Indo-European *-trom
Proto-Indo-European *-tlomder.
Latin -ulum
Latin capulum
Portuguese cacho
Portuguese -ola
Portuguese cachola
Portuguese -ote
Portuguese cachalotebor.
French cachalotbor.
English cachalot
Borrowed from French cachalot, from Portuguese cachalote, from cachola (“head”) + -ote.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cachalot