dugong
[doo-gong, -gawng]
- 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.
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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. 2018
Examples from the Web for dugong
Historical Examples
Paddy gave a shout of delight when he heard that he was appointed to the Dugong.
The Three MidshipmenW.H.G. Kingston
He knew they were amphibious, and that, where the dugong was found, land could not be a long way off.
The CastawaysCaptain Mayne Reid
Was it he who threw Top out of the lake, and killed the dugong?
The Secret of the IslandW.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)
It seemed a wonder that the Dugong could stand so much battering.
In the Eastern SeasW.H.G. Kingston
“A dugong,” said Briscoe, cocking and raising his double rifle.
Old GoldGeorge Manville Fenn
dugong
- a whalelike sirenian mammal, Dugong dugon, occurring in shallow tropical waters from E Africa to Australia: family Dugongidae
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Word Origin
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
n.
1800, from Malay duyung, which is dugung in the Philippines.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper