sea cow

any sirenian, as the manatee or dugong.

Obsolete. the hippopotamus.

Origin of sea cow

First recorded in 1605–15

But the bears got one on either side, and Wulnoth saw that the fight was going against the sea-cow and that it would be slain.

Wulnoth the Wanderer |Herbert Escott-Inman
I had great fears of the crocodiles, and I did not know that the sea-cow might not attack me.

The International Weekly Miscellany, Vol. 1, No. 7 |Various
That the hide of the sea-cow was used for baydars is evident from the short extract given from Korovin's voyage.

The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, Volume I and Volume II |A.E. Nordenskieold
Squier and Davis, who first figured it, supposed it to represent a manatee, or sea-cow.

The Prehistoric World |E. A. Allen

The sea-cow struggled bravely, but the beast of prey had got too firm a hold to let it escape.

On the Banks of the Amazon |W.H.G. Kingston

sea cow

any sirenian mammal, such as a dugong or manatee

an archaic name for walrus