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Added 9 October 2026

dolphin

/ˈdɒlf.ɪn/ noun

In Latin: delphīnus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dolphin at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas (especially around Hawaii).
Any of various small toothed whales with a beaklike snout; larger than porpoises.

Origin

From Middle English delphyn, from Latin delphīnus, from Ancient Greek δελφίς (delphís), from δελφύς (delphús, “womb”); the modern form in -ol- is probably influenced by the pronunciation of Middle French dauphin. Compare Swedish delfin. Doublet of dauphin. Displaced native Old English mereswīn (literally “sea pig”), whence English mereswine.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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