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n. pl. dolphin or dol·phins 1. a. Any of various marine toothed whales of the family Delphinidae, having a beaklike snout, a curved dorsal fin, and a slender streamlined body. b. Any of several toothed whales inhabiting rivers and estuaries in South America and South Asia, having a long narrow beak, broad flippers, a flexible neck, and usually a reduced dorsal fin. A species native to the Yangtze River is thought to be extinct. Also called river dolphin. 2. a. See dolphinfish. b. See pompano dolphinfish. 3. a. A buoy, pile, or group of piles used for mooring boats. b. A group of piles used as a fender, as at a dock or around a bridge pier. [Middle English, from Old French daulfin, blend of daufin and Old Provençal dalfin, both from Medieval Latin *dalfinus, from Latin delphīnus, from Greek delphīs, delphīn-, from delphus, womb (from its shape).]  (click for a larger image) dolphinbottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus |
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