pinniped

American  

[pin-uh-ped] / ˈpɪn əˌpɛd /

adjective

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

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noun

1. a pinniped animal.

pinniped British  

/ ˌpɪnɪˈpiːdɪən, ˈpɪnɪˌpɛd /

adjective

1. 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

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noun

1. any pinniped animal

pinniped Scientific  

/ pĭn′ə-pĕd′ /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• pinnipedian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pinniped

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pinniped

But in 1989, shortly after the Loma Prieta Earthquake, an intrepid group of pinniped adventurers swam beneath the bridge and headed east to Pier 39’s K-Dock, where they decided to make a home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

The puzzled pinniped was spotted in the Lancashire village of Walton-le-Dale, near Preston, after apparently swimming upstream along the River Darwen.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2023

While more research is needed to better understand the relationship between pinniped predation and salmon abundance, the report found seals and sea lions are, at the very least, a factor affecting salmon recovery.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 15, 2023

SeaWorld Rescue Team caught the pinniped, drove her to the closest beach and released her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2022

Blonde Bomber's story is just one among many in which a pinniped has nearly lost its life to plastic pollution, but it was clear that Blonde Bomber struck a special chord.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2022