dugong

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Austronesian *duyuŋ Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duyuŋ Cebuano dugongbor. English dugong Borrowed from Cebuano dugong.

1. A plant-eating sirenian of the species Dugong dugon, found in tropical regions and having a fluked tail.

   “The Ceylong dugong is an extraordinary and interesting animal which is often seen on the coast. It is plentiful in and about the Gulf of Manaar, and resembles somewhat a huge, thickly-made, bluff-headed seal.”

   ““What are those things that aren’t seals? Much worse than seals. Big, blubbery things. Dugongs.””

2. Any animal of the family Dugongidae, of which the monotypic genus Dugong is the only extant kind.