sea cow
Americannoun
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any sirenian, as the manatee or dugong.
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Obsolete. the hippopotamus.
noun
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any sirenian mammal, such as a dugong or manatee
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an archaic name for walrus
Etymology
Origin of sea cow
First recorded in 1605–15
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The team also identified a previously unknown species of ancient sea cow that was much smaller than modern dugongs.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 12, 2025
In re-creating that vanished historical system that included the Steller’s sea cow, we could see a more diverse forest where the understory competed better with kelp.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 15, 2023
Remember Steller’s sea cow or that ground-dwelling pigeon, the dodo?
From Slate ● Feb. 20, 2023
A "sea cow" that evoked tales of mermaids is being driven to the edge of extinction, conservation experts warn.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2022
Natalie was just under five feet tall, and the sea cow was twice as long as that—and wide enough to swallow her whole, if it hadn’t been a plant eater.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
