dauphin

[ daw-fin; French doh-fan ]

/ ˈdɔ fɪn; French doʊˈfɛ̃ /

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noun, plural dau·phins

[daw-finz; French doh-fan]. /ˈdɔ fɪnz; French doʊˈfɛ̃/.

the eldest son of a king of France, used as a title from 1349 to 1830.

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Origin of dauphin

1475–85; <French; Middle French dalphin, after Dauphiné, from an agreement to thus honor the province after its cession to France

Words nearby dauphin

dauncy, daunt, daunting, dauntless, Daunus, dauphin, dauphine, dauphiness, daur, Dausset, daut

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dauphin in a sentence

Dr. George Crozier of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab discusses the environmental impact the oil spill will have on the Gulf Coast.
Video from the Gulf Coast Oil Crisis|The Daily Beast Video|May 7, 2010|DAILY BEAST
If the question had been simply one of pedigree, the right of the Dauphin would have been incontestable.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
The Dauphin and his eldest son the Duke of Burgundy would waive their rights.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
The Dauphin would be perfectly willing to renounce them for himself and for all his descendants.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay

They believed that the Dauphin's soldiers had sworn, if they entered Paris, to slay whomsoever they found there.
The Merrie Tales Of Jacques Tournebroche|Anatole France
Her idolatry for Francois I. saved the house of the Medici from all suspicion when the dauphin was poisoned.
Catherine de' Medici|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for dauphin

dauphin

/ (ˈdɔːfɪn, dɔːˈfɪn, French dofɛ̃) /

noun

(1349–1830) the title of the direct heir to the French throne; the eldest son of the king of France

Word Origin for dauphin

C15: from Old French: originally a family name; adopted as a title by the Counts of Vienne and later by the French crown princes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012