Originally Posted By: BranShea
And dauphin is the French word for dolphin.

So noted in my post above, when I stated, "...animal-related..."
I have not found what word I was looking for - and I may well be wrong. Also, the French Crown Prince's coat of arms had dolphins on it!

It would appear that the word had earlier generalized in Italy, hence Machiavelli's use of it in "Il Principe," suggesting any ruler.