mereswine

English

Alternative forms

• mereswyne, merswine (Scotland)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English mereswyn (“porpoise, dolphin”), from Old English mereswīn (“porpoise, dolphin”), from Proto-West Germanic *mariswīn, from Proto-Germanic *mariswīną (“dolphin, porpoise, cetacean”). By surface analysis, mere +‎ swine or mer- +‎ swine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪə(ɹ)ˌswaɪn/

Noun

mereswine (plural mereswines or mereswine)

1. (rare, poetic, archaic) A porpoise or dolphin.

Hypernyms

• cetacean
• whale

Hyponyms

• dolphin
• porpoise