Pronunciation: [bˈe͡ɪla͡ɪn] (IPA) 
The French word "baleine" means "whale" in English. Its phonetic transcription is [ba.lɛn]. The "b" at the beginning is pronounced like the English "b", but the "a" is pronounced with an open-mid back vowel like the "a" in "father." The "l" is pronounced as a voiced alveolar lateral approximant, while the "ɛ" has an open-mid front unrounded vowel sound like the "e" in "pet." The final "n" is pronounced like the English "n."
Baleine is a French word that translates to "whale" in English. A whale is a large marine mammal that belongs to the order Cetacea and the suborder Mysticeti. These majestic creatures are characterized by their enormous size, streamlined body, and their ability to live in the world's oceans. Whales have a diverse range of species, including the blue whale, humpback whale, sperm whale, and many others.
Whales are renowned for their impressive size, with some species exceeding lengths of over 100 feet and weighing several tons. They have a unique adaptation known as baleen, which is a series of keratinous plates hanging from their upper jaws, used for filter feeding. This adaptation allows them to consume large amounts of small marine organisms, including plankton, krill, and fish.
These marine giants have captured the human imagination throughout history, appearing in folklore, literature, and various cultural and religious contexts. Whales are also recognized for their highly social nature, with complex communication systems, and often migrating long distances to either find food or breed.
Unfortunately, whales have faced significant challenges due to commercial whaling in the past, resulting in drastic declines in their populations. Nowadays, there is a worldwide consensus on protecting these remarkable animals, with many countries implementing conservation measures and promoting sustainable whale-watching tourism. Baleine is thus not only a word denoting a fascinating creature of the sea, but also a symbol of our responsibility to preserve the biodiversity of our oceans.
The word "baleine" is of French origin and its etymology can be traced back to the Latin word "ballaena". In turn, "ballaena" derived from the Greek word "φάλλαινα" (phállaina). The term "baleine" has been used since Middle French to refer to a large, marine mammal known as a whale.
