pinniped

[ pin-uh-ped ]

/ ˈpɪn əˌpɛd /

Save This Word!

adjective

belonging to the Pinnipedia, a suborder of carnivores with limbs adapted to an aquatic life, including the seals and walruses.

noun

a pinniped animal.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pinniped

From the New Latin word Pinnipedia, dating back to 1835–45. See pinna, -i-, -ped, -ia

OTHER WORDS FROM pinniped

pin·ni·pe·di·an

[pin-uh-pee-dee-uhn], /ˌpɪn əˈpi di ən/, adjective, noun

Words nearby pinniped

pinnatipartite, pinnatiped, pinnatisect, pinner, pinnigrade, pinniped, pinnula, pinnulate, pinnule, pinny, pin oak

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pinniped in a sentence

This is especially important when seabirds and pinnipeds are caring for their young, which is why beach camping is not allowed on Santa Rosa from January through mid-August.
The Ultimate Channel Islands National Park Travel Guide|Shawnté Salabert|June 23, 2021|Outside Online

British Dictionary definitions for pinniped

pinniped

pinnipedian (ˌpɪnɪˈpiːdɪən)

/ (ˈpɪnɪˌpɛd) /

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Pinnipedia, an order of aquatic placental mammals having a streamlined body and limbs specialized as flippers: includes seals, sea lions, and the walrus

noun

any pinniped animal

Compare fissiped

Word Origin for pinniped

C19: from New Latin pinnipēs, from Latin pinna feather, fin + pēs foot

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

Scientific definitions for pinniped

pinniped

[ pĭn′ə-pĕd′ ]

Any of various carnivorous, aquatic mammals of the group Pinnipedia, which some believe is a suborder of the Carnivora but others consider a separate mammalian order. Pinnipeds have long, smooth bodies and finlike flippers for swimming. Seals and walruses are pinnipeds.