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definitions

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.

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Nearby words

  1. monitory,
  2. monitress,
  3. moniz,
  4. moniz, egas,
  5. monk,
  6. monk's cloth,
  7. monk's pepper tree,
  8. monk, george,
  9. monkery,
  10. monkey

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