sea calf
sea calf · sea calves · sea calfs
The young of the manatee and dugongThe young of the manatee and dugong.
Meaning
2 senses(dated)The young of the manatee and dugong.
(obsolete)Synonym of common seal (Phoca vitulina).
Origin
From Middle English see calf, ultimately a calque of Latin vitulus marīnus (literally “seaFrom Middle English see calf, ultimately a calque of Latin vitulus marīnus (literally “sea calf”). Compare French veau marin and German Seekalb. See also Latin porcus marīnus (“porpoise”, literally “sea pork”), rāna marīna (“anglerfish”, literally “sea frog”), bōs marīna (“sea cow, dugong”), caballus marīnus (“seahorse”), canis marīnus (“seal”, synonym of vitulus marīnus, literally “sea dog”) and translingual Phoca vitulina (“calf-like seal, sea calf”). Equivalent to sea + calf.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source