n.
Pronunciation: ' däl-f ə n, ' do ̇ l-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English delphyn, dolphyn, from Anglo-French delphin, alteration of Old French dalfin, from Medieval Latin dalfinus, alteration of Latin delphinus, from Greek delphin-, delphis; akin to Greek delphys womb, Sanskrit garbha
Date: 14th century
1 a (1) : any of various small marine toothed whales (family Delphinidae) with the snout more or less elongated into a beak and the neck vertebrae partially fused (2) : any of several related chiefly freshwater toothed whales (as of the family Platanistidae) b : PORPOISE 1
2 : either of two active pelagic bony food fishes ( Coryphaena equiselis and C. hippuras of the family Coryphaenidae) of tropical and temperate seas ― called also dolphinfish
3 capitalized : DELPHINUS
4 : a spar or buoy for mooring boats also : a cluster of closely driven piles used as a fender for a dock or as a mooring or guide for boats
dolphin 1a