Plants & CreaturesGreek → English
Dolphin
/ˈdɑlfɪn/noun
A small toothed whale with a beaked snout, known for speed and social behaviour.
The Greek roots
δελφίς, δελφῖνος
delphís, delphînos
dolphin
Literally: “womb creature”
Follow a root:δελφίς, δελφῖνος1 word
The story of the word
δελφίς is generally connected with δελφύς, the womb, which would make it the fish that bears live young; Greek fishermen had certainly noticed, even if the analysis is not beyond dispute. Apollo took the form of one to steer a Cretan ship to his sanctuary, and the place kept the name Delphi and the title Delphinios. The Old French form dauphin became a nobleman's title in the Viennois, and when that territory passed to the crown the heir to France was called the Dauphin for four centuries.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
- First recorded
- 14th century
Same family
Delphicdauphindelphinium
In a sentence
A dolphin kept pace with the ferry for a mile, then lost interest.