manatee Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun sirenian mammal of tropical coastal waters of America; the flat tail is rounded
    Trichechus manatus.

WordNet

Man`a*tee" noun
Etymology
Sp. manatí, from the native name in Hayti. Cf. Lamantin.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) Any species of Trichechus, a genus of sirenians; -- called alsosea cow. Written also manaty, manati. ✍ One species (Trichechus Senegalensis) inhabits the west coast of Africa; another (T. Americanus) inhabits the east coast of South America, and the West-Indies. The Florida manatee (T. latirostris) is by some considered a distinct species, by others it is thought to be a variety of T. Americanus. It sometimes becomes fifteen feet or more in length, and lives both in fresh and salt water. It is hunted for its oil and flesh.

Webster 1913