φάλλαινα (phallaina)

What it meant — LSJ

whale

whale, A. Dict. in PSI 11.1209.9, Arist. HA 489b4, 521b24, 537a31, al., Str. 3.2.7, Ael. NA 9.50, 16.18, Philostr. VA 2.14, Nonn. D. 6.298, Babr. 39.1, Gal. 6.728,737, UP 3.12, al., Porph. Abst. 3.20.

2 any devouring monster

of any devouring monster, Ar. V. 35, 39, Lyc. 841.

II moth, ballaena

moth, Nic. Th. 760 (Rhodian in this sense acc. to Sch.).—In late codd. (as those of Gal.) freq. written φάλαινα; but cod.Rav. of Ar., and the best codd. of Arist., Str., Babr., Lyc., Nic., Philostr., and Nonn. (the Pap. of A. Dict. is indistinct) have φάλλ-; cf. sq. [φάλλη]; the metre requires a long first syll. in Babr., Nic., Nonn., and admits it elsewhere; in Lat. the best spelling is ballaena.

Where it came from

No etymology authority pointer is recorded for this lemma yet — an honest gap, not an omission. The etymological dictionaries (Beekes, Chantraine, Frisk) are matched incrementally.

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