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.
"This part of the world has been prime sea cow habitat for the past 21 million years -- it's just that the sea cow role has been occupied by different species over time."
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.
