Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Nearby Words

manatee

 - 3 dictionary results

man⋅a⋅tee

[man-uh-tee, man-uh-tee]
–noun
any of several plant-eating aquatic mammals of the genus Trichechus, of West Indian, Floridian, and Gulf Coast waters, having two flippers in front and a broad, spoon-shaped tail: all species are endangered.

Origin:
1545–55; < Sp manatí < Carib, but associated with L manātus provided with hands
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To manatee
man·a·tee   (mān'ə-tē')   
n.  Any of various herbivorous aquatic mammals of the genus Trichechus, having paddlelike front flippers and a horizontally flattened tail and found in warm coastal waters of Florida, northern South America, West Africa, and the Caribbean.

[Spanish manatí, from Cariban manati·.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

manatee 
1555, from Sp. manati (1535), from Carib manati "breast, udder." Often associated with L. manatus "having hands," because the flippers resemble hands.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see manatee on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: