dolphin en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈdɒlf.ɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
- /ˈdɑlf.ɪn/ (General-American)
- [ˈdɒl̥fɪn] (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈdɑl̥fɪn] (General-American)
Etymology
From Middle English delphyn, from Latin delphīnus, from Ancient Greek δελφίς (delphís), from δελφύς (delphús, “womb”); the modern form in -ol- is probably influenced by the pronunciation of Middle French dauphin. Compare Swedish delfin. Doublet of dauphin. Displaced native Old English mereswīn (literally “sea pig”), whence English mereswine.
Meanings
- A carnivorous cetacean, typically with a beak-like snout, famed for their intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans.
- A carnivorous cetacean, typically with a beak-like snout, famed for their intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans. ▸ Tursiops truncatus, (Atlantic bottlenose dolphin) the most well-known species.
- A fish, the mahi-mahi or dorado, Coryphaena hippurus, with a dorsal fin that runs the length of the body, also known for iridescent coloration.
- A depiction of a fish, with a broad indented fin, usually embowed.
- The dauphin, eldest son of the kings of France.
- A mass of iron or lead hung from the yardarm, in readiness to be dropped through the deck and the hull of an enemy's vessel to sink it.
- A kind of wreath or strap of plaited cordage.
- A spar or buoy held by an anchor and furnished with a ring to which ships may fasten their cables.
- A mooring post on a wharf or beach.
-
A permanent fender designed to protect a heavy boat, bridge, or coastal structure from the impact of large floating objects such as ice, floating logs, or vessels.
An ice-breaker or dolphin was also constructed during the latter part of the autumn, a little above the site for No. 2 dam, or that for the twoer nearest the Pesth shore; this dolphin, which served as a protection against the ice, rafts, &c. was constructed at this time, so that a means might be afforded of judging of the actual force of the ice during the winter ensuing; and the event proved that its construction was most fortunate, as the winter of 1840-41 was unusually severe.
1852, William Tierney Clark, An Account, with illustrations, of the Suspension Bridge across the River Danube, uniting Pesth with Buda and the adjacent country, in the Kingdom of Hungary, etc, page 37:At each end of the piers in the water, in cases where several rows of pile are driven, a sort of cutwater should be formed, in order to ward off heavy bodies, such as floating trees, ice, etc. and prevent them from injuring the superstructure (called in German constructions, "Eisbrecher," or ice-breaker). This is usually done by driving one pile by itself in advance of the rest, or by forming what is called a "dolphin" at each end of the pier.
1844, The Technical Educator, an encyclopædia, page 107:The Dolphin is now seldom used, but a rope treated in the same manner, with mousings raised on it at regular intervals, is sometimes put around a Launch, just below the gunwale outside and secured there as a sort of permanent fender; this also is called a Dolphin.
1868, Stephen Bleecker Luce, Seamanship, page 28:For a dolphin or buoy to be placed on the south point of Goat Island, in the harbor of Newport, one hundred and fifty dollars.
1852, The Congressional Globe: Volume 32, page xxx:Sometimes a stoppage would take place owing to the accumulation of ice between the Dolphin and the dam, which kept that above back until a mass of ice more resembling an island than anything else it can be compared to, would force the whole mass before it, breaking up the large blocks accumulated at the dam into a thousand pieces.
1860 March 31, “Victoria Bridge”, in American Railroad Journal, volume 16, number 13:
- (obsolete) One of the handles above the trunnions by which a gun was lifted.
- (US, slang) A person who buys shares on the primary market only to resell them immediately at a high profit.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dolphins | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
delphine · dolphinless · wholphin · Irrawaddy dolphin · dolphin striker · panda dolphin · dolphin-friendly · blind river dolphin · Māui dolphin · dolphinspeak · Indian Ocean humpback dolphin · Amazon river dolphin · flog the dolphin · spotted dolphin · Peale's dolphin · dolphinlike · bean-dolphin · dolphinfish · Commerson's dolphin · Amazon dolphin · dolphinet · Yangtze River dolphin · Atlantic humpback dolphin · Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin · short-beaked common dolphin · white-beaked dolphin · Chinese white dolphin · Pacific humpback dolphin · piebald dolphin · side-swimming dolphin · Yangtze dolphin · southern right whale dolphin · pantropical spotted dolphin · whitefin dolphin · humpback dolphin · dolphinese · Yangtze river dolphin · Chinese river dolphin · Amazon River dolphin · common dolphin · dusky dolphin · Chilean dolphin · Pacific white-sided dolphin · Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin · right whale dolphin · river dolphin · oceanic dolphin · dolphin fly · Sarawak dolphin · Ganges River dolphin · bottlenose dolphin · dolphining · spinner dolphin · Heaviside's dolphin · Araguaian river dolphin · La Plata dolphin · black dolphin · Atlantic white-sided dolphin · Indus River dolphin · South Asian river dolphin · green dolphin · dolphin dive · white-sided dolphin · Risso's dolphin · Arabian common dolphin · dolphin hugger · rough-toothed dolphin · pink river dolphin · dolphin kick · dolphin shorts · Atlantic spotted dolphin · Indian humpback dolphin · striped dolphin · Australian snubfin dolphin · Clymene dolphin · pink dolphin · hourglass dolphin · long-beaked common dolphin · estuarine dolphin · dolphinkind · wax the dolphin · Hector's dolphin · skunk dolphin · Guiana dolphin · Fraser's dolphin · dolphinarium
Hypernyms
Relateds
porpoise · seal · cetacean · killer whale · whale · sea lion · pod
Synonyms
sea goose · sea goose · sea pig · sea pig · mereswine · mereswine
Translations (245)
mi aihe (aquatic mammal) · lo ໝູທະເລ (aquatic mammal) · sd ٻِرُون (aquatic mammal) · gu શિશુમાર (aquatic mammal) · gv doraid (aquatic mammal) · yi דעלפֿין (aquatic mammal) · ht dofen (aquatic mammal) · cs delfín (aquatic mammal) · he דּוֹלְפִין (aquatic mammal) · scn draffinu (aquatic mammal) · ps ډالفين (aquatic mammal) · ryn 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 鯃魚 /鯃鱼 (aquatic mammal) · ar دَرْفِيل (aquatic mammal) · ab амшынҳәа (aquatic mammal) · ady псыкъу (aquatic mammal) · chr ᏗᏁᏍᏆᏕᎩ (aquatic mammal) · yag sauyánux (aquatic mammal) · kbd хыкхъуэ (aquatic mammal) · ne गुँज (aquatic mammal) · jv lumba-lumba (aquatic mammal) · or ଡେଲଫିନ୍ (aquatic mammal) · pap dòlfein (aquatic mammal) · scn darfinu (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · egy s-i-in:n-Aa2:N33C*Z1-n-M14-wr:r-mw (aquatic mammal) · svs ghulia (aquatic mammal) · ur خُوکِ بَحْری (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 海鼠 (aquatic mammal) · vec delfin (aquatic mammal) · ab адельфин (aquatic mammal) · msk lomba (aquatic mammal) · tr ırgay (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 海豬仔 /海猪仔 (aquatic mammal) · enm mereswyn (aquatic mammal) · ist dulfeîn (aquatic mammal) · id lumba-lumba (aquatic mammal) · as শিহু (aquatic mammal) · sc gurfinu (aquatic mammal) · km ផ្សោត (aquatic mammal) · de Delphin (aquatic mammal) · lv delfīns (aquatic mammal) · kzg 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · bo མཚོ་ཕག (aquatic mammal) · kw morhogh (aquatic mammal) · mnc ᠨᠠᠮᡠ ᡠᠯᡤᡳᠶᠠᠨ (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 烏鯃 /乌鯃 (aquatic mammal) · sv delfin (aquatic mammal) · vec dolfin (aquatic mammal) · si ඩොල්ෆින් (aquatic mammal) · sh ду̀пӣн (aquatic mammal) · zu ihlengethwa (aquatic mammal) · la delphīnus (aquatic mammal) · fi kiinnityspoiju (nautical: anchored spar or buoy for mooring) · rsk делфин (aquatic mammal) · kmr fînmasî (aquatic mammal) · niv поми (aquatic mammal) · fo springari (aquatic mammal) · gl golfiño (aquatic mammal) · ast tolín (aquatic mammal) · wyi tingin (aquatic mammal) · nn delfin (aquatic mammal) · mel belusok (aquatic mammal) · ar دُلْفِين (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 白鰗 /白𬶞 (aquatic mammal) · ast golfín (aquatic mammal) · uk дельфі́н (aquatic mammal) · oge დელფინი (aquatic mammal) · ro delfin (aquatic mammal) · ar دُخَس (aquatic mammal) · fi diktaali (nautical: anchored spar or buoy for mooring) · br beg-hir (aquatic mammal) · pt delfim (aquatic mammal) · hi डॉल्फिन (aquatic mammal) · aii ܕܹܠܦܝܼܢܵܐ (aquatic mammal) · scn derfinu (aquatic mammal) · af dolfyn (aquatic mammal) · lo ປາໂລມາ (aquatic mammal) · ia delphino (aquatic mammal) · is höfrungur (aquatic mammal) · pa بُلّھَݨ (aquatic mammal) · ru дельфи́н (aquatic mammal) · ain トゥワユㇰ (aquatic mammal) · fa-ira دُلْفین (aquatic mammal) · pl dalba (nautical: mooring post) · eu izurde (aquatic mammal) · be дэльфі́н (aquatic mammal) · kk дельфин (aquatic mammal) · tr yunus (aquatic mammal) · ug دېلفىن (aquatic mammal) · hu delfin (aquatic mammal) · kn ಡೊಲ್ಪಿನ್ (aquatic mammal) · hi शिशुमार (aquatic mammal) · sw pomboo (aquatic mammal) · cmn 海豨 (aquatic mammal) · sc grufinu (aquatic mammal) · tg делфин (aquatic mammal) · fy dolfin (aquatic mammal) · ast toliña (aquatic mammal) · ain タンヌ (aquatic mammal) · haw hoikiuna (aquatic mammal) · gl touliña (aquatic mammal) · cmn 海豬 /海猪 (aquatic mammal) · lo ໂລມາ (aquatic mammal) · az delfin (aquatic mammal) · bcl lumod (aquatic mammal) · ta ஓங்கில் (aquatic mammal) · ti ኣቡ ሰላማ (aquatic mammal) · ja イルカ (aquatic mammal) · kab azyam (aquatic mammal) · tzm ⴰⵣⵢⴰⵎ (aquatic mammal) · hy դելֆին (aquatic mammal) · an dalfín (aquatic mammal) · de Delfin (aquatic mammal) · ota یونس بالغی (aquatic mammal) · fi diktaali (nautical: mooring post) · so hoombarada (aquatic mammal) · grc δελφίν (aquatic mammal) · ky дельфин (aquatic mammal) · syl ꠚꠥ (aquatic mammal) · hi सूंस (aquatic mammal) · sv dykdalb (nautical: anchored spar or buoy for mooring) · pa ਬੁੱਲ੍ਹਣ (aquatic mammal) · sh dùpīn (aquatic mammal) · cy dolffin (aquatic mammal) · pl dalba (nautical: anchored spar or buoy for mooring) · sh дѐлфӣн (aquatic mammal) · tr delfin (aquatic mammal) · ko 돌고래 (aquatic mammal) · kl aarluarsuk (aquatic mammal) · kmr delfîn (aquatic mammal) · vi cá heo (aquatic mammal) · br delfin (aquatic mammal) · gd bèist-ghorm (aquatic mammal) · lt delfinas (aquatic mammal) · te డాల్ఫిన్ (aquatic mammal) · ur ڈالْفِن (aquatic mammal) · el δελφίνι (aquatic mammal) · sd ٻُلهَڻِ (aquatic mammal) · fi kiinnityslenkki (nautical: mooring post) · rgn dilfòin (aquatic mammal) · ast llofín (aquatic mammal) · crh yunus balığı (aquatic mammal) · cs plískavice (aquatic mammal) · enm delphyn (aquatic mammal) · ceb lumod (aquatic mammal) · uli giiuy (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 海徛 (aquatic mammal) · rm delfin (aquatic mammal) · yue 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · sk delfín (aquatic mammal) · gd deilf (aquatic mammal) · gd muc-bhiorach (aquatic mammal) · gd leumadair (aquatic mammal) · wyi tole.ler.bope (aquatic mammal) · sc gorfinu (aquatic mammal) · nl dolfijn (aquatic mammal) · pl delfin (aquatic mammal) · sv dykdalb (nautical: mooring post) · sq delfin (aquatic mammal) · nv tééh hóyáanii (aquatic mammal) · lo ເດິນຟິນ (aquatic mammal) · ain オコㇺ (aquatic mammal) · ang mereswīn (aquatic mammal) · nb delfin (aquatic mammal) · eo delfeno (aquatic mammal) · mr डॉलफिन (aquatic mammal) · srn profosu (aquatic mammal) · mk делфин (aquatic mammal) · ams 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 海鰡 /海𱈊 (aquatic mammal) · tvo kahia (aquatic mammal) · fr dauphin (aquatic mammal) · mg feso (aquatic mammal) · qu phujpuri (aquatic mammal) · sd ٻُلهَڻُ (aquatic mammal) · ryu 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · bn ডলফিন (aquatic mammal) · ur سُون٘س (aquatic mammal) · hi सूँस (aquatic mammal) · ja 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · uga 𐎀𐎐𐎃𐎗 (aquatic mammal) · es delfín (aquatic mammal) · nrf dauphîn (aquatic mammal) · sl delfin (aquatic mammal) · tk delfin (aquatic mammal) · ml ഏടി (aquatic mammal) · ga deilf (aquatic mammal) · ca dofí (aquatic mammal) · lo ປາເດິນຟິນ (aquatic mammal) · ms lumba-lumba (aquatic mammal) · wuu 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · sh dèlfīn (aquatic mammal) · th ปลาโลมา (aquatic mammal) · hak 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · fi delfiini (aquatic mammal) · kmr ûnis (aquatic mammal) · uz delfin (aquatic mammal) · sh пли̏скавица (aquatic mammal) · ka დელფინი (aquatic mammal) · bg делфи́н (aquatic mammal) · sh plȉskavica (aquatic mammal) · cmn 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · grc δελφίς (aquatic mammal) · th โลมา (aquatic mammal) · nn springar (aquatic mammal) · nds-de Swienfisch (aquatic mammal) · it delfino (aquatic mammal) · et delfiin (aquatic mammal) · skr ٻُلِھݨ (aquatic mammal) · da delfin (aquatic mammal) · tft kohia (aquatic mammal) · hi डॉल्फ़िन (aquatic mammal) · my လင်းပိုင် (aquatic mammal) · pt golfinho (aquatic mammal) · tft kahia (aquatic mammal) · oc dalfin (aquatic mammal) · scn dirfinu (aquatic mammal) · ccc walali (aquatic mammal) · ks سوٗسمار (aquatic mammal) · as উলুপী (aquatic mammal) · kw pyffer (aquatic mammal) · as ডেলফিন (aquatic mammal) · nds-de Meerswien (aquatic mammal) · ml ഡോൾഫിൻ (aquatic mammal) · jao miriyi (aquatic mammal) · ur ڈولْفِن (aquatic mammal) · tl lumbalumba (aquatic mammal) · fo delfin (aquatic mammal) · xug 海豚 (aquatic mammal) · tl lumba-lumba (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 海豬 /海猪 (aquatic mammal) · sm masimasi (aquatic mammal) · ps دولفين (aquatic mammal) · mt delfini (aquatic mammal) · nan-hbl 白鯃 (aquatic mammal) · scn derfinu (aquatic mammal) · wyi bar-bar-ka (aquatic mammal) · xcl դելփին (aquatic mammal) · sco dowphin (aquatic mammal) · ady хыкъо (aquatic mammal) · mn далайн гахай (aquatic mammal) · su ᮜᮥᮙ᮪ᮘᮜᮥᮙ᮪ᮘ (aquatic mammal) · bal گوکین (aquatic mammal) · lzz delpina (aquatic mammal)