dugong

American  

[doo-gong, -gawng] / ˈdu gɒŋ, -gɔŋ /

noun

1. 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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dugong British  

/ ˈduːɡɒŋ /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of dugong

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

Compare meaning

How does dugong compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dugong vs. manatee

Example Sentences

Pyenson also noted that sea cow fossils often appear in mixed species groups, making it likely that further research at the site could uncover additional dugong relatives.

From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2025

A woman dressed as a dugong, a rare marine mammal, beseeched passers-by to end the burning of fossil fuels.

From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2023

It also meant getting preapproval from authorities, dragging the dugong through security and dressing into its heavy felt in the still-hot desert environment of Dubai’s Expo City, where COP28 is taking place.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2023

This year, the union is sounding the alarm about the dugong - a large and docile marine mammal that lives from the eastern coast of Africa to the western Pacific Ocean.

From Washington Times • Dec. 9, 2022

I may as well say that the dugong is a large fish found in these waters, from ten to twelve feet in length, of the whale species.

From In the Eastern Seas by Kingston, William Henry Giles