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Glite Dictionary
hair seal

hair seal

7.3
A sea animal with no outer ears, a stiff coat of hair, and back legs like flippers
  • noun
  • /hɛr siːl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : foca peluda
  • The hair seal is easily recognized by its sleek, stiff coat and lack of external ear flaps.

Examples

  • Unlike the fur seal, the hair seal does not have visible ears.

  • Scientists observed a group of hair seals basking on the icy shore.

  • The hair seal is known for its streamlined body.

  • Many hair seals can be found along the coast.

  • Scientists observed a group of hair seals basking on the icy shore.

  • The hair seal is easily recognized by its sleek, stiff coat and lack of external ear flaps.

  • Many hair seals can be found along the coast.

Synonyms

true seal
vshair seal
  • Specialized
6.5

A sea mammal without visible ears, with fur and back flippers for swimming

focuses more on the stiff hairlike coat rather than family name
earless seal
vshair seal
  • Specialized
7.7

A sea animal with no outside ear flaps and back flippers for swimming

emphasizes the stiff hairlike coat detail absent from that taxonomic label

Surface Forms

hair seal singular
hair seals plural

Morphology

hair + seal

The meaning — a type of seal characterized by a hair-like coat — is directly and predictably built from the constituents 'hair' + 'seal' (an attributive noun modifying another noun). Noun+noun compounds of this sort are a common, compositional pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The name hair seal comes from the animal's short, stiff hair instead of a thick soft coat and from the fact it looks like a seal with no visible ears. So the name simply describes that kind of 'seal'.