Skip to main content
seal

seal

1 5.6
The fur of a sea mammal used to make warm clothing
  • noun
  • /siːl/
: piel de foca
  • Greenland Eskimos consume an average of 400 g daily of seal, whale, or fish.

Examples

  • He wants her seal coat, da.

  • Yes, I want her seal coat.

  • Unfortunately for the seals, in those days their fur was not expensive.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Oh, I'm shaking in my custom baby seal leather boots.

  • Gold, seal furs, fox pelts.

  • "Seal skins and oil were important for clothing, ropes, boats, and lamps."

    Academic text (2008)
  • The Inuits prefer their traditional seal, whale, and caribou.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Both had pale fawn-colored fur and seal brown masks, ears, and tails.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • And it had genuinely come off a seal's back, not one of these wharf-rat-dyed mink frauds that are still so common.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Her new jacket was made from soft seal fur to keep her warm during the winter.

Synonyms

pelt
vsseal
22 6.6

An animal skin with the fur still attached

refers only to the marine mammal's soft underfur used for clothing
sealskin
vsseal
1 7.0

The soft fur from a seal used to make warm clothes

uses a shorter name for the same material

Compounds

Navy SEAL
  • Formal
72 4.4

A member of a top United States Navy unit trained for special sea, air, and land missions

An official stamp shows a person in charge thinks something is good

break seal
  • Specialized
8 6.1

A seal that breaks when a package is opened to show if someone opened it

A very large seal with a nose like an elephant's trunk that lives on beaches

great seal
  • Formal
3 7.5

An official stamp used by a government to show that a document is genuine

2 3.9

A small spotted seal that lives along coasts in the Northern Hemisphere

2 4.1

A large seal with visible ears and thick fur that lives in cold seas

2 5.4

A large Arctic seal with dark curved marks on its back and white newborn pups

1 9.9

A senior UK government official who has an old title, no set duties, and sometimes has extra responsibilities

An official seal used to show a United States government document is real

A silvery-grey seal that lives in Antarctica and eats krill

golden seal
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A plant with a thick yellow root used in herbal medicine

hudson seal
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Fur from a muskrat that is dyed to look like seal fur

A six-pointed star made by two equal triangles used as a symbol of Judaism

1 6.8

A medium-sized Arctic animal that lives in the sea with long whiskers used to find food under ice

1 3.8

A small, spotted sea animal that lives on cold northern coasts

seal oil
  • Archaic
1 6.7

A yellowish liquid from seal fat that people use to make soap, treat leather, and burn in lamps

1 7.7

A medium-sized seal in Arctic waters with a large inflatable bag on its nose

A woodland plant with long curved stems, pairs of hanging green bell flowers and a thick root with round scars

1 7.0

A ring with a carved top you press into wax to make a mark

1 6.6

A large sea mammal with thick fur that lives on the Pacific coast from Alaska to California

1 9.9

A formal written agreement signed with a special stamp that has stronger force in law

earless seal
  • Specialized
1 7.7

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

A silvery grey seal from Antarctica that eats mainly small sea animals with shells

A sea mammal with visible ear flaps that walks on land, like sea lions and fur seals

A forest plant with smooth leaves and small hanging green flowers

A seal with thick fur that lives on rocky Pacific coasts near California and Mexico

hair seal
  • Specialized
7.3

A sea animal with no outer ears, a stiff coat of hair, and back legs like flippers

9.8

A small underwater explosive fishermen use to scare seals from fishing areas

true seal
  • Specialized
6.5

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

How Warm

bearskin
6 6.8
seal
1 5.6
mink
19 4.6

Surface Forms

seal singular
seals plural

Etymology

Seal for the fur comes directly from the animal seal, because people used the animal's soft skin to make warm clothes and hats.