Seehund

German

Etymology

Compound of See (“sea”) +‎ Hund (“dog”), cognate to Dutch zeehond. Possibly from Proto-Germanic *selhaz, changed by folk etymology, therefore cognate to North Frisian selich, Middle Dutch seel, zēle, Old High German selah, Danish sæl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈzeːˌhʊnt]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Seehund m (genitive Seehunds or Seehundes, plural Seehunde, female Seehündin)

1. seal, especially the common seal or harbor seal, (Phoca vitulina, a type of pinniped, mammal living in the ocean)

   Synonym: Robbe

See also

• Seelöwe m
• Walross n
• Walroß n

Further reading

• “Seehund” in Duden online