dugong

[doo-gong, -gawng]

noun

an herbivorous, aquatic mammal, Dugong dugon, of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, having a barrel-shaped body, flipperlike forelimbs, no hind limbs, and a triangular tail: widespread but rare.

Origin of dugong

1790–1800; < New Latin < German: first recorded as dugung, apparently misrepresentation of Malay duyung, or a cognate Austronesian word

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dugong

Historical Examples of dugong

Paddy gave a shout of delight when he heard that he was appointed to the Dugong.
The Three Midshipmen
W.H.G. Kingston
He knew they were amphibious, and that, where the dugong was found, land could not be a long way off.
The Castaways
Captain Mayne Reid
Was it he who threw Top out of the lake, and killed the dugong?
The Secret of the Island
W.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)
It seemed a wonder that the Dugong could stand so much battering.
In the Eastern Seas
W.H.G. Kingston
“A dugong,” said Briscoe, cocking and raising his double rifle.
Old Gold
George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for dugong

dugong

noun

a whalelike sirenian mammal, Dugong dugon, occurring in shallow tropical waters from E Africa to Australia: family Dugongidae

Word Origin for dugong

C19: from Malay duyong

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

Word Origin and History for dugong

1800, from Malay duyung, which is dugung in the Philippines.