man·a·tee (m n  -t  )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·.] |
manatee [ˈmænəˌtiː, ˌmænəˈtiː]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any sirenian mammal of the genus Trichechus, occurring in tropical coastal waters of America, the Caribbean, and Africa: family Trichechidae. They resemble whales and have a prehensile upper lip and a broad flattened tail
[via Spanish from Carib Manattouī]
manatoid adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  manatee - sirenian mammal of tropical coastal waters of America; the flat tail is roundedsea cow, sirenian, sirenian mammal - any of two families of large herbivorous aquatic mammals with paddle-shaped tails and flipper-like forelimbs and no hind limbs genus Trichecus, Trichechus - type and sole genus of the Trichechidae |
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