manatí
/manaˈti/masculine
The English word manatee is translated into Spanish as manatí.
The term refers to any of the several species of plant-eating marine mammals belonging to the family Trichechidae.
Meaning: any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of family Trichechidae (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/manaˈti/
Did you know?
- The word manatí is believed to stem from a Cariban word meaning 'breast' or 'udder'.
- Spanish speakers often group the manatí with the pez vaca (cow fish) in folk descriptions because of their shared grazing habits.
- The term manatí is used across all Spanish-speaking countries, even in regions where the animal is not native, such as Spain.
Examples in context
- En el estuario de la Florida podemos encontrar el majestuoso manatí.In the Florida estuary, we can find the majestic manatee.
- Ayer vi un par de vacas marinas mientras nadaba en el río.Yesterday, I saw a couple of sea cows while swimming in the river.
- ¡Mira, allá hay una vaca marina!Look, there's a sea cow over there!
- Vi un manatí en el río.I saw a manatee in the river.
- El manatí es un animal muy tranquilo.The manatee is a very calm animal.
- ¿Has visto alguna vez un manatí?Have you ever seen a manatee?
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are watching a nature documentary on television.
- JavierMira, hay un manatí nadando.Look, there is a manatee swimming.
- SofíaEs un manatí muy grande, Javier.It is a very large manatee, Javier.
- JavierMe gusta mucho ese manatí.I really like that manatee.
- SofíaEs un animal muy lindo.It is a very cute animal.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “manatee” translations and entries manatí, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries manatí, CC BY-SA 4.0.
