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spermaceti (animal wax, <wax by composition or origin>, ... Materials (hierarchy name)) |
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Note: A white, translucent wax composed of a mixture of fatty acid esters (cetyl palmitate) and long-chain alcohols, obtained from the the oil in the head cavity of the sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, other whales, or dolphins. It is created by the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head and connected to its nasal passage The substance was named in the mistaken belief that it was the coagulated semen of the whale. Spermaceti is collected from the cooled sperm oil, then washed with hot water and pressed to remove residual oil. The solid mass is then mixed with a slightly alkali solution and cast into molds. Spermaceti forms brilliant white crystals that are hard but oily to the touch, and are devoid of taste or smell. Spermaceti has been used since at least the 15th century for ointments, castings, soaps, cosmetic creams, fine candles, pomades, and textile finishing; later it was used for leather dressing and industrial lubricants. Space agencies in Europe and the United States still use spermaceti for roving vehicles on the moon and Mars and as lubricant on the Hubble space telescope. The biological function of the oil for the whale is uncertain, but among possibilities are that is used as a means of altering the whale's buoyancy, to focus sound waves to stun its prey, or as a cushion to protect the sperm whale's delicate snout while diving. Most spermaceti wax currently on the market is made synthetically.
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| Terms: |
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| spermaceti (preferred,C,U,LC,English-P,D,U,N)
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| spermaceti (French-P,D,U,U)
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| spermaceti (Italian-P,D,U,U)
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| 鯨蠟 (C,U,Chinese (traditional)-P,D,U,U)
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| 鯨腦油 (C,U,Chinese (traditional),UF,U,U)
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| jīng là (C,U,Chinese (transliterated Hanyu Pinyin)-P,UF,U,U)
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| jing la (C,U,Chinese (transliterated Pinyin without tones)-P,UF,U,U)
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| ching la (C,U,Chinese (transliterated Wade-Giles)-P,UF,U,U)
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| spermaceti was (C,U,Dutch-P,D,U,U)
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| espermaceti (C,U,Spanish-P,D,U,U)
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Facet/Hierarchy Code: M.MT |
Hierarchical Position:
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Materials Facet |
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.... Materials (hierarchy name) (G) |
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........ materials (substances) (G) |
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............ <materials by composition> (G) |
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................ organic material (G) |
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.................... wax (G) |
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........................ <wax by composition or origin> (G) |
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............................ animal wax (G) |
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................................ spermaceti (G) |
Additional Notes: |
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| Chinese (traditional) ..... 白色的半透明蠟，由脂肪酸酯（軟脂酸鯨蠟酯）與長鏈醇類所混合組成，取自抹香鯨、其他鯨類或海豚頭腔中的油脂。此物質是由鯨頭部連接鼻管的鯨蠟器所產生，其原文命名源自拉丁文中的「精子」，因從前誤認為鯨蠟是鯨的凝固精液。鯨蠟是採集自冷卻的鯨油，再以熱水洗滌並加壓去除殘餘的油，得到的固態物質再與微鹼的水溶液混合後置於模具中塑形。鯨蠟可形成明亮的白色結晶，此結晶質硬但觸感油膩，滋味或氣味全失。鯨蠟至少在西元十五世紀便已用於製作軟膏、鑄造物、肥皂、保養用乳霜、精緻蠟燭、髮油以及紡織品表面加工，後來則用於皮革保養劑及工業潤滑劑中。歐洲與美國太空署仍將鯨蠟用於行駛月球或火星表面的探險載具，以及作為哈伯望遠鏡的潤滑劑。此蠟油在鯨體內的生物功能尚不明確，但有可能是用來改變鯨魚浮力的工具，以便使聲波對準並震昏獵物，或是作為抹香鯨潛水時保護其脆弱口鼻的緩衝物質。目前大部分市售的鯨蠟都是人工合成的。
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| Dutch ..... Was uit de schedelholten van potvissen of dolfijnen; werd voorheen gebruikt voor kaarsen maar tegenwoordig hoofdzakelijk als een zuivere was voor zalven. |
| Spanish ..... Cera de la cavidad encefálica del cachalote o del delfín, utilizada antes para velas, pero actualmente utilizada especialmente como cera fina para ungüentos. |
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Related concepts: |
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| derived/made from .... |
Physeter macrocephalus (species) |
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(Physeter (genus), Physeteridae (family), ... Living Organisms (hierarchy name)) [300375645] |
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Sources and Contributors: |
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| spermaceti............ |
[GCI Preferred, VP Preferred] |
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AATA database (2002-) 129108 checked 26 January 2012 |
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Bacot, 19th Century Lighting (1987) 21 |
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Brady and Clauser, Materials Handbook (1986) |
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Caspall, Making Fire and Light (1987) 48 |
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CDMARC Subjects: LCSH (1988-) |
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Darbee, Glossary of Old Lamps (1974) |
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Hobard, Early Lighting in New England (1964) 41 |
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Hough, Collection of Heating and Lighting Utemsils (1928) 16 |
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Mayer, Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques (1969) 370 |
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MFA Conservation and Art Material Encyclopedia Online: CAMEO (2005-) |
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O'Dea, Social History of Lighting (1958) 216 |
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Thwing and Daniels, Dictionary of Old Lamps (1952) |
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Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1961) |
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