manatee

[man-uh-tee, man-uh-tee]

noun

any of several plant-eating aquatic mammals of the genus Trichechus, of West Indian, Floridian, and Gulf Coast waters, having two flippers in front and a broad, spoon-shaped tail: all species are endangered.

Origin of manatee

1545–55; < Spanish manatí < Carib, but associated with Latin manātus provided with hands

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

Examples from the Web for manatee

Historical Examples of manatee

The manatee ranges from the mouth of the Amazon to the upper waters.
The Western World
W.H.G. Kingston
The manatee feeds on the grass growing at the borders of the lakes and rivers.
On the Banks of the Amazon
W.H.G. Kingston
You say that you first met Rufus Shepley aboard the Manatee?
The Brand of Silence
Harrington Strong
Squier and Davis, who first figured it, supposed it to represent a manatee, or sea-cow.
The Prehistoric World
E. A. Allen
Isle of Batts, very large; and numerous Turtles and Manatee.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898--Volume 39 of 55
Various

British Dictionary definitions for manatee

manatee

noun

any sirenian mammal of the genus Trichechus, occurring in tropical coastal waters of America, the Caribbean, and Africa: family Trichechidae. They resemble whales and have a prehensile upper lip and a broad flattened tail

Derived Formsmanatoid, adjective

Word Origin for manatee

C16: via Spanish from Carib Manattouī

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 manatee

1550s, from Spanish manati (1530s), from Carib manati "breast, udder." Often associated with Latin manatus "having hands," because the flippers resemble hands.