Adjacent Words

manatee definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: sirenian mammal of tropical coastal waters of America; the flat tail is rounded [syn: manatee, Trichechus manatus]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Spanish manatí, probably of Carib origin; akin to Antillean Carib manattoüi manatee Date: 1555 any of a genus (Trichechus of the family Trichechidae) of chiefly tropical aquatic sirenian mammals that differ from the related dugong especially in having the tail rounded

Britannica Concise

Any of three species (family Trichechidae) of slow-moving, shallow-water herbivorous mammals. Manatees have a tapered body ending in a rounded flipper, no hind flippers, and foreflippers near the head. The Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus) lives along coasts of the SE U.S. and N S. America; the Amazonian manatee (T. inunguis) and the W. African manatee (T. senegalensis) inhabit rivers and estuaries. Adults are 8-15 ft (2.5-4.5 m) long and weigh up to 1,500 lbs (700 kg). Manatees live singly or in small herds and are protected by law in most areas. The manatee or its relative, the dugong, may have given rise to the folklore of mermaids. See also sea cow.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. any large aquatic plant-eating mammal of the genus Trichechus, with paddle-like forelimbs, no hind limbs, and a powerful tail. Etymology: Sp. manati f. Carib manattou{iuml}

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Manatee Man`a*tee", n. [Sp. manat['i], from the native name in Hayti. Cf. Lamantin.] (Zo["o]l.) Any species of Trichechus, a genus of sirenians; -- called alsosea cow. [Written also manaty, manati.] Note: One species (Trichechus Senegalensis) inhabits the west coast of Africa; another (T. Americanus) inhabits the east coast of South America, and the West-Indies. The Florida manatee (T. latirostris) is by some considered a distinct species, by others it is thought to be a variety of T. Americanus. It sometimes becomes fifteen feet or more in length, and lives both in fresh and salt water. It is hunted for its oil and flesh.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Lamantine, sea-cow, manatin.