A.Word.A.Day --dauphin

A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact

Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

dauphin

PRONUNCIATION:

(DAW-fin)

MEANING:

noun: An heir apparent in business, politics, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

From the title of the eldest son of a king of France and the direct heir to the throne, from 1350 to 1830. The title came from the dolphins that adorned the coat of arms, from Old French daulphin (dolphin), from Latin delphinus, from Greek delphin, from delphus (womb), from the shape of the organ. Earliest documented use: 1485.

USAGE:

"James Murdoch's elder brother, Lachlan, long regarded as the dauphin, resigned his positions at News Corp and retreated to Australia in 2005."
Peter Wilby; The Sun King's Long Goodbye; New Statesman (London, UK); Feb 10, 2011.

"Bush's memoir should prompt renewed reflections upon his catastrophic presidency. It is really a saga of how a dauphin could take the leading power in the world and leave it crippled."
Jacob Heilbrunn; George Bush's Unmemorable Memoir; The National Interest (Washington, DC); Nov 8, 2010.

See more usage examples of dauphin in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him. -Aldous Huxley, novelist (1894-1963)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise