dolphin

dol·phin  (dlfn, dôl-)

n. pl. dolphin or dol·phins

1. 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.

2.

a. 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.

b. A similar fish (C. equisetis) of smaller size, having silvery or pale yellow sides. Also called dolphinfish, pompano dolphin.

3.

a. A buoy, pile, or group of piles used for mooring boats.

b. A group of piers used as a fender at a dock.

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[Middle English, from Old French daulfin, blend of daufin and Old Provençal dalfin, both from Medieval Latin *dalfinus, from Latin delphnus, from Greek delphs, delphn-, from delphus, womb (from its shape).]

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dolphin [ˈdɒlfɪn]

n

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various marine cetacean mammals of the family Delphinidae, esp Delphinus delphis, that are typically smaller than whales and larger than porpoises and have a beaklike snout

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals)

river dolphin any freshwater cetacean of the family Platanistidae, inhabiting rivers of North and South America and S Asia. They are smaller than marine dolphins and have a longer narrower snout

3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) Also called dorado either of two large marine percoid fishes, Coryphaena hippurus or C. equisetis, that resemble the cetacean dolphins and have an iridescent coloration

4. (Transport / Nautical Terms) Nautical a post or buoy for mooring a vessel

[from Old French dauphin, via Latin, from Greek delphin-, delphis]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	dolphin - large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas (especially around Hawaii) dolphinfish, mahimahi percoid, percoid fish, percoidean - any of numerous spiny-finned fishes of the order Perciformes Coryphaenidae, family Coryphaenidae - large active pelagic percoid fish Coryphaena hippurus - the more common dolphinfish valued as food; about six feet long Coryphaena equisetis - a kind of dolphinfish dolphinfish, mahimahi - the lean flesh of a saltwater fish found in warm waters (especially in Hawaii) Aloha State, Hawai'i, Hawaii, HI - a state in the United States in the central Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands
	2.	dolphin - any of various small toothed whales with a beaklike snout; larger than porpoises toothed whale - any of several whales having simple conical teeth and feeding on fish etc. Delphinidae, family Delphinidae - dolphins common dolphin, Delphinus delphis - black-and-white dolphin that leaps high out of the water; bottle-nosed dolphin, bottlenose, bottlenose dolphin - any of several dolphins with rounded forehead and well-developed beak; chiefly of northern Atlantic and Mediterranean porpoise - any of several small gregarious cetacean mammals having a blunt snout and many teeth Grampus griseus, grampus - slaty-grey blunt-nosed dolphin common in northern seas killer whale, orca, Orcinus orca, sea wolf, grampus, killer - predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin; common in cold seas black whale, common blackfish, Globicephala melaena, pilot whale, blackfish - small dark-colored whale of the Atlantic coast of the United States; the largest male acts as pilot or leader for the school river dolphin - any of several long-snouted usually freshwater dolphins of South America and southern Asia Delphinapterus leucas, white whale, beluga - small northern whale that is white when adult

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dolphin noun

Related words
collective noun school

see whales and dolphins

Translations

dolphin [ˈdɒlfɪn] N → delfín m

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dolphin [ˈdɒlfɪn] n → dauphin m

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dolphin

n → Delfin m, → Delphin m

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dolphin [ˈdɒlfɪn] n (Zool) → delfino

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dolphin [ˈdɒlfɪn] n (Zool) → delfino

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dolphin

n dolphin [ˈdolfin]

a type of sea-animal about two and a half to three metres long, closely related to the porpoise. dolfyn دولْفين делфин delfín delfin der Delphin δελφίνι delfín delfiin دلفین delfiini dauphin דוֹלפִין सूंस, एक स्तनधारी समुद्री जन्तु dupin delfin lumba-lumba höfrungur delfino いるか 돌고래 delfinas delfīns ikan lumba-lumba dolfijn delfin delfin golfinho delfin дельфин delfín delfin delfin delfin ปลาโลมา yunus balığı 海豚 дельфін ڈالفن cá heo 海豚

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dolphin → دُولفين delfín delfin Delphin δελφίνι delfín delfiini dauphin dupin delfino イルカ 돌고래 dolfijn delfin delfin golfinho дельфин delfin ปลาโลมา yunus cá heo 海豚