manatee

noun

man·​a·​tee ˈma-nə-ˌtē 

: any of a genus (Trichechus of the family Trichechidae) of large, herbivorous, aquatic mammals that inhabit warm coastal and inland waters of the southeastern U.S., West Indies, northern South America, and West Africa and have a rounded body, a small head with a squarish snout, paddle-shaped flippers usually with vestigial nails, and a flattened, rounded tail used for propulsion

Note: Manatees are sirenians related to and resembling the dugong but differing most notably in the shape of the tail.

An aquatic relative of the elephant, manatees grow up to nine feet long and can weigh 1,000 pounds.

—Felicity Barringer

Illustration of manatee

Examples of manatee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During one record-breaking day recently, more than 900 manatees were spotted. —Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2024

Colonial accounts from the 1600s also do not describe manatees. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024

Threat level: Coral bleaching poses a threat to the entire ecosystem of the Florida Keys, which houses 6,000-plus species of marine life — including turtles, whales, dolphins and manatees — and is home to over 285 bird species. —Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 19 Sep. 2024

The sudden change in manatee population likely occurred because Florida’s waters began to warm up. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish manatí, probably of Carib origin; akin to Antillean Carib manattoüi manatee

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

manatee

noun

man·​a·​tee ˈman-ə-ˌtē 

: any of several chiefly tropical water-dwelling mammals that eat plants and differ from the related dugong especially in having the tail broad and rounded