dolphin

[dol-fin, dawl-] /ˈdɒl fɪn, ˈdɔl-/
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.
3.
Nautical.
  1. a pile, cluster of piles, or buoy to which a vessel may be moored in open water.
  2. a cluster of piles used as a fender, as at the entrance to a dock.
  3. 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; Middle English dolphyn < Old French daulphin < Old Provençal dalfin < Vulgar Latin *dalfīnus, Latin delphīnus < Greek delphī́n
Examples from the web for dolphin
  • They will reach the resort by speedboat or seaplane and need never leave it except for diving or sunset dolphin-viewing.
  • But unless you are in that league, you go for the organic, non-dolphin-safe variety.
  • Occasionally a guy in a dolphin suit would bounce around a press gaggle, waving his flippers.
  • His subsequent work on causes including dolphin-safe tuna evolved into community work.
  • But whatever the fate of tuna, dolphin reproductive potential is not high.
  • The lungs and thorax were essentially the same in a dolphin as in a human being, yet dolphins survived great depths.
  • Orcas, or killer whales, are actually members of the dolphin family.
  • The former is a one-day program focusing on dolphin care and feeding, with plenty of close interaction.
  • dolphin interaction programs give visitors the chance to interact and even swim with dolphins in a safe environment.
  • Or display images of frolicking dolphins along with a white silhouette of a dolphin on which you can write text.
British Dictionary definitions for dolphin

dolphin

/ˈdɒlfɪn/
noun
1.
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
2.
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.
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.
(nautical) a post or buoy for mooring a vessel
Word Origin
C13: from Old French dauphin, via Latin, from Greek delphin-, delphis
Word Origin and History for dolphin
n.

mid-14c., from Old French daulphin, from Medieval Latin dolfinus, from Latin delphinus "dolphin," from Greek delphis (genitive delphinos) "dolphin," related to delphys "womb," perhaps via notion of the animal bearing live young, or from its shape, from PIE *gwelbh-. Popularly applied to the dorado from late 16c.