sea-cow

A sea-cow grazes on seagrass in a shallow, sunlit bay.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Any of several large, herbivorous marine mammals: "sea-cow" refers to members of the order Sirenia, including manatees and dugongs, which are slow-moving, plant-eating aquatic animals found in warm coastal waters.
   • A walrus: In older or less precise usage, "sea-cow" can also denote the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), a large marine mammal with tusks, though this meaning is less common today.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The manatee is often called a sea-cow because of its gentle nature and grazing habits. (A manatee is a type of sea-cow.)
  • Dugongs, another kind of sea-cow, are found in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific. (A dugong is a sea-cow.)
  • In some regions, the walrus is historically referred to as a sea-cow due to its size and aquatic lifestyle. (Walrus is an alternate meaning.)

Advanced Usage

• "sea-cow" as a common name: The term is primarily used in informal or zoological contexts to group sirenians, emphasizing their cow-like grazing behavior.

  • The Florida manatee, a well-known sea-cow, is endangered due to boat collisions. (A specific type of sea-cow.)

• "Steller's sea cow": A now-extinct species of sirenian (Hydrodamalis gigas), once found in the North Pacific, which was much larger than modern sea-cows.

  • Steller's sea cow was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. (A historical species of sea-cow.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sea cow (n): an alternative spelling without a hyphen, meaning the same as "sea-cow."

  • The term "sea cow" is more commonly used in modern English than "sea-cow." (Synonymous form.)

• Sirenian (n, adj): the scientific term for the order of mammals that includes manatees and dugongs; often used interchangeably with "sea-cow" in technical contexts.

  • Sirenians are the only fully aquatic herbivorous mammals. (Sirenians are sea-cows.)

Synonyms

• Manatee: a specific type of sea-cow found in the Americas and West Africa.
• Dugong: a specific type of sea-cow found in the Indo-Pacific.
• Sirenian: the scientific name for the entire group.

Phrasal Verbs

• (None directly associated with "sea-cow"; the word is a noun and does not form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

• "Like a sea-cow": a rare simile used to describe someone who is slow, gentle, or grazes heavily.
  • He moved through the buffet like a sea-cow, sampling everything. (He ate with slow, deliberate enjoyment.)