What is the origin of pod as a collective noun for dolphins and whales. A paddling of ducks on water. Pin On Collective Nouns This helps with finding a noun that might be used with and is related to. . A flock of dolphins. Gam is another word for the school of whales and is often used in scientific articles or. The earliest usage I find in Google books is from 1836. A herd of dolphins. A school of dolphins. A school of dolphins school refers. The word cetacean has its origins in Latin Cetus referring to a large sea creature. A school of dolphins. A pod of dolphins is also referred to as a bloat but these two species are distinctly different so we think a bloat of hippos is a more apt collective noun. But an interesting questions remain. A pod of dolphins. While pod is the most common collective noun for dolphins a group of dolphins is also called a school or herd. Collecti