Dolphin definition | Dictionary.com

dol⋅phin

[dol-fin, dawl-]

–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.

Nautical.

a.	a pile, cluster of piles, or buoy to which a vessel may be moored in open water.

b.	a cluster of piles used as a fender, as at the entrance to a dock.

c.	a pudding fender at the nose of a tugboat or on the side of a vessel.

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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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dol·phin (dŏl'fĭn, dôl'-)

n. pl. dolphin or dol·phins

Any of various marine cetacean mammals, such as the bottle-nosed dolphin, of the family Delphinidae, related to the whales but generally smaller and having a beaklike snout.
1. A large marine food and game fish (Coryphaena hippurus) found worldwide in tropical waters, having an iridescent blue back, yellow sides, a steep blunt forehead, and a long continuous dorsal fin. Also called dolphinfish, dorado, mahi-mahi.
2. A similar fish (C. equisetis) of smaller size, having silvery or pale yellow sides. Also called dolphinfish, pompano dolphin.
3. A buoy, pile, or group of piles used for mooring boats.
4. A group of piers used as a fender at a dock.
1. A buoy, pile, or group of piles used for mooring boats.
2. A group of piers used as a fender at a dock.

[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).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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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Language Translation for : Dolphin

Spanish: delfín,

German: der Delphin,

Japanese: いるか

More Translations »

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.

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