sea cow
3
4.8
- noun
- /siː kaʊ/
- Did you know they called the manatee a sea cow?
- sea cow manatee
- Steller sea cow
Examples
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The manatee is also called the sea cow.
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This large aquatic mammal, the sea cow, is often spotted in rivers and estuaries.
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She's a sweet old Florida manatee, also known as a sea cow or dugong.
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Manatees, also known as sea cows, are gentle water giants found in the Crystal and Homosassa rivers of Florida.
Blog text (15) -
The manatee, commonly known as a sea cow, can be seen grazing in warm coastal waters.
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Manatees, often referred to as sea cows, are gentle giants that feed on aquatic plants.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A very large extinct sea animal that lived near the Bering Sea
1
9.9
A large plant-eating sea mammal like a manatee or dugong
1
9.9
A very large sea mammal like Steller's sea cow that is now extinct
A large water mammal with flippers that eats plants, like a manatee
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'sea cow' is compositionally transparent: 'sea' + 'cow' directly suggests a cow-like animal that lives in the sea, i.e. a large aquatic, grazing mammal. A B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer this general meaning (even if they might not know the specific taxa manatee/dugong). This type of noun compounding is common across languages and follows straightforward semantic composition.
Etymology
Sea cow comes from early sailors who saw a large, slow animal in the water and thought of a cow eating grass in the sea. That's why 'sea cow' means a big, gentle water animal that eats plants under the water.