WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Dol"phin
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [F. dauphin dolphin, dauphin, earlier spelt also doffin; cf. OF. dalphinal of the dauphin; fr. L. delphinus, Gr. garbha; perh. akin to E. calf. Cf. Dauphin, Delphine.]
Definition : 1. (Zool.) (a) A cetacean of the genus Delphinus and allied genera (esp. D. delphis); the true dolphin. (b) The Coryph?na hippuris, a fish of about five feet in length, celebrated for its surprising changes of color when dying. It is the fish commonly known as the dolphin. See Coryph?noid.

Note: The dolphin of the ancients (D. delphis) is common in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and attains a length of from six to eight feet.

2. Etym: [Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)

Defn: A mass of iron or lead hung from the yardarm, in readiness to be dropped on the deck of an enemy's vessel.

3. (Naut.) (a) A kind of wreath or strap of plaited cordage. (b) A spar or buoy held by an anchor and furnished with a ring to which ships may fasten their cables. R. H. Dana. (c) A mooring post on a wharf or beach. (d) A permanent fender around a heavy boat just below the gunwale. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

4. (Gun.)

Defn: In old ordnance, one of the handles above the trunnions by which the gun was lifted.

5. (Astron.)

Defn: A small constellation between Aquila and Pegasus. See Delphinus, n.,

2. Dolphin fly (Zo?l.), the black, bean, or collier, Aphis (Aphis fable), destructive to beans. -- Dolphin striker (Naut.), a short vertical spar under the bowsprit.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913