Main Entry: dol·phin

Pronunciation: \ˈdäl-fən, ˈdȯl-\

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 : 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 illustration]