monk seal
noun
a small, dark brown, subtropical seal of the genus Monachus: the three species, M. tropicalis of the Caribbean, M. schauinslandi of Hawaiian island regions, and M. monachus of the Mediterranean, are endangered.
Nearby words
monitorial, monitory, monitress, moniz, monk, monk seal, monk's cloth, monk's pepper tree, monkery, monkey, monkey bars
Origin of monk seal
1835–45; apparently translation of the NL genus name Monachus (see monk), originally a specific name (Phoca monacha), probably in allusion to the animal's gray coloration and isolated breeding sites; compare French moine, Italian monaco the monk seal, literally, monk
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019