Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Dolphin \Dol"phin\ (d[o^]l"f[i^]n), n. [F. dauphin dolphin,
   dauphin, earlier spelt also doffin; cf. OF. dalphinal of the
   dauphin; fr. L. delphinus, Gr. delfi`s a dolphin (in senses
   1, 2, & 5), perh. properly, belly fish; cf. delfy`s womb,
   Skr. garbha; perh. akin to E. calf. Cf. {Dauphin},
   {Delphine}.]
   1. (Zool.)
      (a) A cetacean of the genus {Delphinus} and allied genera
          (esp. {D. delphis}); the true dolphin.
      (b) The {Coryph[ae]na hippuris}, a fish of about five feet
          in length, celebrated for its surprising changes of
          color when dying. It is the fish commonly known as the
          dolphin. See {Coryph[ae]noid}.

   Note: The dolphin of the ancients ({D. delphis}) is common in
         the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and attains a length of
         from six to eight feet.

   2. [Gr. delfi`s] (Gr. Antiq.) A mass of iron or lead hung
      from the yardarm, in readiness to be dropped on the deck
      of an enemy's vessel.

   3. (Naut.)
      (a) A kind of wreath or strap of plaited cordage.
      (b) A spar or buoy held by an anchor and furnished with a
          ring to which ships may fasten their cables. --R. H.
          Dana.
      (c) A mooring post on a wharf or beach.
      (d) A permanent fender around a heavy boat just below the
          gunwale. --Ham. Nav. Encyc.

   4. (Gun.) In old ordnance, one of the handles above the
      trunnions by which the gun was lifted.

   5. (Astron.) A small constellation between Aquila and
      Pegasus. See {Delphinus}, n., 2.

   {Dolphin fly} (Zo["o]l.), the black, bean, or collier, Aphis
      ({Aphis fable}), destructive to beans.

   {Dolphin striker} (Naut.), a short vertical spar under the
      bowsprit.