dolphin
1. any of various marine cetacean mammals of the family Delphinidae, esp Delphinus delphis, that are typically smaller than whales and larger than porpoises and have a beaklike snout
2. river dolphin any freshwater cetacean of the family Platanistidae, inhabiting rivers of North and South America and S Asia. They are smaller than marine dolphins and have a longer narrower snout
3. either of two large marine percoid fishes, Coryphaena hippurus or C. equisetis, that resemble the cetacean dolphins and have an iridescent coloration
4. Nautical a post or buoy for mooring a vessel
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Dolphin
(religion, spiritualism, and occult)The dolphin is a traditional alternate name for the sign Pisces.
The Astrology Book, Second Edition © 2003 Visible Ink Press®. All rights reserved.
What does it mean when you dream about a dolphin? (porpoise)
Large bodies of water often symbolize the unconscious, so any sea creature can represent a message from the unconscious or diving into the unconscious. As seagoing mammals, dolphins can symbolize the connection or interaction between our conscious (air) and unconscious (water) selves, or between thoughts (air) and emotions (water). They also represent guides to the unconscious. Because of our society’s general knowledge about dolphin behavior, they also symbolize rescuers.
The Dream Encyclopedia, Second Edition © 2009 Visible Ink Press®. All rights reserved.
dolphin
[′däl·fən] (civil engineering)
A group of piles driven close and tied together to provide a fixed mooring in the open sea or a guide for ships coming into a narrow harbor entrance.
A mooring post on a wharf.
(vertebrate zoology)
The common name for about 33 species of cetacean mammals included in the family Delphinidae and characterized by the pronounced beak-shaped mouth.
Dolphin
[′däl·fən] McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
dolphin
transported blessed souls to islands of dead. [Gk. and Rom. Myth.: Appleton, 31]
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Dolphin
(dreams)Dolphins represent friendliness, communal living, rescue, communication, and affection. They are water dwelling mammals and in our dreams they represent our willingness and ability to navigate through emotions. They represent positive messages from our unconscious minds. Dolphins could also represent a positive connection between our consciousness and to those parts of the psyche that are a mystery and largely unconscious.
Bedside Dream Dictionary by Silvana Amar Copyright © 2007 by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Dolphin
freestanding supports that take up the loads when vessels dock and fall foul. There are mooring dolphins, breasting dolphins, swinging dolphins, and guiding types. They may be rigid, with a slight lateral yield, or flexible. The dolphins are installed directly in front of berths that are not designed to withstand horizontal loads and in front of sloping structures to prevent vessels from falling foul of the shore. They are also placed in roadsteads for the benefit of vessels unloading or waiting to unload. Dolphins placed at approaches to berths or at the entrance to a lock or harbor help vessels to hold the correct position, and dolphins of the floating type serve to hold vessels off from mooring structures.
REFERENCES
Goriunov, B. F., and F. M. Shikhiev. Morskie porty i portovye sooruzheniia. Moscow, 1970.
Mikhailov, A. V. Vnutrennie vodnye puti. Moscow, 1973.The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.