Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Whale blubber and skin, eaten as food.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The skin and blubber of a whale, used as a traditional food by the Inuit.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Inuit maktak.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Western Canadian Inuktitut  (maqtaq) and Inupiak maktak ("whaleskin with attached blubber").

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Examples

Comments

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  • An Inupiaq Eskimo word. A sandwich-sized slice of whale blubber with 1-inch thick skin attached. (Picture a triangular slice of watermelon with white blubber replacing the red pulp and black skin replacing the green rind.) Eaten raw, the very chewy skin performs much like gum. Highly nutritious and caloric--essential qualities if you live where it is eaten.

    November 3, 2007

  • Interesting, skipvia. So the slice itself has this name?

    November 4, 2007

  • No, reesetee--muktuk is simply the name for whale blubber. The slice I described is the way it is most commonly consumed in Alaska. It's usually eaten fresh, just after the whale is slaughtered. I can see why my comment was misleading. Sorry 'bout dat.

    November 4, 2007

  • Nah, no problem. I just wondered. I mean, we don't have a name specifically for a triangular slice of watermelon, so I thought maybe the Inupiaq Eskimos could help us out. ;-)

    November 5, 2007