Meanings
plural sea calves · plural proscribed sea calfs · alternative seacalf · alternative sea-calf
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of common seal (Phoca vitulina).
Origin
- Latinvitulus marīnus
- Middle Englishsee calf
- Englishsea calf
From Middle English see calf, ultimately a calque of Latin vitulus marīnus (literally “sea calf”). Compare French veau marin and German Seekalb. See also Latin porcus marīnus (“porpoise”, literally “sea pork”), rāna marīna (“anglerfish”, literally “sea frog”), bōs marīna (“sea cow, dugong”), caballus marīnus (“seahorse”), canis marīnus (“seal”, synonym of vitulus marīnus, literally “sea dog”) and translingual Phoca vitulina (“calf-like seal, sea calf”). Equivalent to sea + calf.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
sea calf. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20calf
“sea calf.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20calf. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sea calf,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20calf.
Source: sea calf on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.