this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] janNatan@lemmy.ml 161 points 2 months ago (3 children)

It's short for spermaceti whale.

Spermaceti is the name of the oil they produce for buoyancy/echolocation. Why is it called that? Because it was originally thought to be whale semen. Yes, really.

[–] Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone 102 points 2 months ago (5 children)
[–] joelfromaus@aussie.zone 30 points 2 months ago

Would explain some of the decisions I’ve made over the years.

[–] user224 18 points 2 months ago

Only during transit.

[–] galacticbackhoe@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

pee is stored in the balls so no room there

[–] pootzapie@lemy.lol 7 points 2 months ago

Actual lol, tysm and happy holidays

[–] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 2 months ago

Only until you swallow

[–] SillyDude@lemmy.zip 17 points 2 months ago

I wonder if they were either disappointed or relieved when they found out it wasn't cum.

[–] skeezix@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

spermaceti was named after the italian pasta shape; a folded durham wheat shell with a tail.

[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 2 months ago

Since it translates to "sperm head" I think it's the other way around

[–] tiny_hedgehog@piefed.social 56 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I bet he named the Daddy Long Legs too.

[–] Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world 51 points 2 months ago

"Okay, we need a name for this one, too."

"Bushtit."

[Sigh] "Fine. And this one?"

[Snickering] "Blue footed booby."

"Ugh, but why?."

"It's got blue feet."

"Whatever. How about this one?"

"Titmouse."

"I think I'm starting to see a pattern here. Is everything okay at home?"

[Bursts into tears] "No! Not since this one." [Hands other person a photo] "I call that one 'horrible shrew that ruined my life!'" [Sobbing]

[Other person holding the photo of the ex-partner]

[–] Signtist@bookwyr.me 19 points 2 months ago

He originally wanted to call it the Spermy Long Legs.

[–] hopesdead@startrek.website 14 points 2 months ago

Sadly I have a video for this topic.

https://youtu.be/bYyiS8AT3ug

[–] FilthyShrooms@lemmy.world 31 points 2 months ago (2 children)

He went on to name a bunch of birds afterwards, like boobies and tits

[–] Kacarott@aussie.zone 10 points 2 months ago

Id have thought that boobs and tits were rather named after the birds as euphemisms

[–] psud@aussie.zone 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Tit just used to mean small. That's how the word came to be used for some boobs, then all boobs. Perhaps teat (nipple) got shortened also, but the bird is named for being small

There's also the titmouse which is littler than other mice

[–] FaceDeer@fedia.io 24 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately not before he did the bear and the peacock.

Or rather before he named the bear and the peacock. Need to be careful with words when that guy's involved.

[–] hopesdead@startrek.website 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I knew from the cropped thumbnail it was Ryan George.

[–] EpeeGnome@feddit.online 3 points 2 months ago

I can't see the thumbnail, but I could already hear the Ryan George character in my head just from reading the image text, so when I saw a youtube link I assumed it had to be one of those skits.

[–] neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Just gonna leave this here…

As I sat there at my ease, cross-legged on the deck; after the bitter exertion at the windlass; under a blue tranquil sky; the ship under indolent sail, and gliding so serenely along; as I bathed my hands among those soft, gentle globules of infiltrated tissues, wove almost within the hour; as they richly broke to my fingers, and discharged all their opulence, like fully ripe grapes their wine; as. I snuffed up that uncontaminated aroma,- literally and truly, like the smell of spring violets; I declare to you, that for the time I lived as in a musky meadow; I forgot all about our horrible oath; in that inexpressible sperm, I washed my hands and my heart of it; I almost began to credit the old Paracelsan superstition that sperm is of rare virtue in allaying the heat of anger; while bathing in that bath, I felt divinely free from all ill-will, or petulance, or malice, of any sort whatsoever.

Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers’ hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say,- Oh! my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor or envy! Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other; let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness.

Would that I could keep squeezing that sperm for ever! For now, since by many prolonged, repeated experiences, I have perceived that in all cases man must eventually lower, or at least shift, his conceit of attainable felicity; not placing it anywhere in the intellect or the fancy; but in the wife, the heart, the bed, the table, the saddle, the fire-side; the country; now that I have perceived all this, I am ready to squeeze case eternally. In thoughts of the visions of the night, I saw long rows of angels in paradise, each with his hands in a jar of spermaceti.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 12 points 2 months ago

What a magnificent example of the kind of straight male bonding you just don't see anymore

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I've now understood why our english lit teacher skipped over this one at school

[–] ReverendIrreverence@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Cockroach has something to say here

[–] HowAbt2day@futurology.today 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

And the breastmouse bird has joined the chat.

[–] zer0squar3d@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 months ago

And pussywillow.

[–] muhyb@programming.dev 3 points 2 months ago
[–] kwomp2@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 months ago

Room enters room. The The Room room.

(A room for watching The Room and occasionally saying hi to Mark)

[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

before the whale, they named a bunch of birds for foreplay

[–] Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

it's called "kaskelothval" in danish

kastelot supposedly means "oil-filled head"

that oil is called "spermaceti oil". And supposedly is kinda sticky.. like sperm

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In Spanish it's called "cacholote". I wonder if it's related because it's such an odd word since other whales are called "ballenas".

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It comes from Portuguese, it seems, meaning "big head" https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cachalot

[–] Drewfro66@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 2 months ago

It's what they're called in the DnD 3.5e Monster Manual as well

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Why is it called that? Did the first one they ever see ejaculate at that moment or something?

[–] RattlerSix@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Wikipedia sez

The name "sperm whale" is a clipping of "spermaceti whale". Spermaceti, originally mistakenly identified as the whales' semen, is the semi-liquid, waxy substance found within the whale's head.

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Spermaceti sounds like a pasta dish.

[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 months ago

Good lord I don't want to be invited to your dinner parties

[–] Deathray5@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 2 months ago

Good lord I want to be invited to your dinner parties

[–] pancakes@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 months ago

You can't just talk shit about Gerald Sperm like that, he gave his life for research 😭

[–] chirayu_alias@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 months ago

And I bet that guy regrets nothing

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 months ago

I'm interested of the reason to call an prehistoric elephant Tit tooth (Mastodon)

[–] QuinnyCoded@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago

the dongfish

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

He changed departments and started deciding on packaging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPf529urxw8