noun
manatee
MAN-uh-tee/ˈmænətiː/
A large plant-eating aquatic mammal with paddlelike flippers.
A manatee uses its flippers to steer through the shallow water.
Etymology
Carib manati meant “breast” or “udder,” though the source does not explain its application to the animal. A Latin expression meaning “having hands,” associated with its hand-like flippers, may also have influenced the name.
In context
a young manatee, possibly separated from its mother, is in serious trouble and needs to be rescued.
More examples
- The manatee rises to the surface to breathe.
- Several manatees gather near the warm spring.
- We watch a manatee grazing on underwater plants.
Forms
manatee · manatees
Similar words
- sea cow
- A broader common name that also includes the dugong.