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6 dictionary results for: Dolphin
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
dol·phin
[dol-fin, dawl-] Pronunciation Key
[dol-fin, dawl-] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | any of several chiefly marine, cetacean mammals of the family Delphinidae, having a fishlike body, numerous teeth, and the front of the head elongated into a beaklike projection. |
| 2. | Also called dolphinfish, mahimahi, pompano dolphin. either of two large, slender fishes, Coryphaena hippurus or C. equisetis, of warm and temperate seas. |
| 3. | Nautical.
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| 4. | (initial capital letter ) Astronomy. the constellation Delphinus. |
[Origin: 1300–50; ME dolphyn < OF daulphin < OPr dalfin < VL *dalfīnus, L delphīnus < Gk delph
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| dol·phin
(dŏl'fĭn, dôl'-) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. dolphin or dol·phins
[Middle English, from Old French daulfin, blend of daufin and Old Provençal dalfin, both from Medieval Latin *dalfinus, from Latin delphīnus, from Greek delphīs, delphīn-, from delphus, womb (from its shape).] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dolphin
dolphin
c.1350, from O.Fr. daulphin, from M.L. dolfinus, from L. delphinus "dolphin," from Gk. delphis (gen. delphinos) "dolphin," related to delphys "womb," probably via notion of the animal bearing live young. Popularly applied to the dorado from late 16c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| dolphin | |
noun | |
| 1. | large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas (especially around Hawaii) [syn: dolphinfish] |
| 2. | any of various small toothed whales with a beaklike snout; larger than porpoises |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This
Dolphin, VA Zip code(s): 23843
U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Dolphin
Dol"phin\ (d[o^]l"f[i^]n), n. [F. dauphin dolphin, dauphin, earlier spelt also doffin; cf. OF. dalphinal of the dauphin; fr. L. delphinus, Gr. delfi`s a dolphin (in senses 1, 2, & 5), perh. properly, belly fish; cf. delfy`s womb, Skr. garbha; perh. akin to E. calf. Cf. Dauphin, Delphine.]1. (Zool.) (a) A cetacean of the genus Delphinus and allied genera (esp. D. delphis); the true dolphin. (b) The Coryph[ae]na hippuris, a fish of about five feet in length, celebrated for its surprising changes of color when dying. It is the fish commonly known as the dolphin. See Coryph[ae]noid. Note: The dolphin of the ancients (D. delphis) is common in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and attains a length of from six to eight feet. 2. [Gr. delfi`s] (Gr. Antiq.) A mass of iron or lead hung from the yardarm, in readiness to be dropped on the deck of an enemy's vessel. 3. (Naut.) (a) A kind of wreath or strap of plaited cordage. (b) A spar or buoy held by an anchor and furnished with a ring to which ships may fasten their cables. --R. H. Dana. (c) A mooring post on a wharf or beach. (d) A permanent fender around a heavy boat just below the gunwale. --Ham. Nav. Encyc. 4. (Gun.) In old ordnance, one of the handles above the trunnions by which the gun was lifted. 5. (Astron.) A small constellation between Aquila and Pegasus. See Delphinus, n., 2. Dolphin fly (Zo["o]l.), the black, bean, or collier, Aphis (Aphis fable), destructive to beans. Dolphin striker (Naut.), a short vertical spar under the bowsprit.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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