Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
dolphin
dol′phin
(dŏl′fĭn)
, Noun.
1.
(Zool.)
A cetacean of the genus
Delphinus
and allied genera (esp. Delphinus delphis
); the true dolphin. ☞ The dolphin of the ancients (
Delphinus delphis
) is common in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and attains a length of from six to eight feet. 3.
[Gr.
δελφίς
] (Gr. Antiq.)
A mass of iron or lead hung from the yardarm, in readiness to be dropped on the deck of an enemy’s vessel.
4.
(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.
5.
(Gun.)
In old ordnance, one of the handles above the trunnions by which a cannon was lifted.
6.
(Astron.)
A small constellation between Aquila and Pegasus. See , 2.
Delphinus
, Noun.
Dolphin fly
(Zool.)
, the black, bean, or collier, Aphis (
– Aphis fable
), destructive to beans. Dolphin striker
(Naut.)
, a short vertical spar under the bowsprit.
Webster 1828 Edition
Dolphin
DOLPHIN
,Noun.
1.
A genus of cetaceous fish, with teeth in both jaws, and a pipe in the head, comprehending the dolphin, the porpoise, the grampus and the beluga. But the fish to which seamen give this name, is the Coryphaena hippuris of Linne. It has a flat roundish snout and a tapering body, with a fin running along the back from the head to the tail, consisting of a coriaceous membrane with soft spines.2.
In ancient Greece, a machine suspended over the sea, to be dropped on any vessel passing under it.