pinniped adjective & noun. ['pɪnɪpɛd] Also pinnipede [-pi:d]. M19.
[from mod. Latin Pinnipedia noun pl., from Latin pinna fin, wing + ped-, pes foot (cf. Latin pinnipes wing-footed).]
Zoology.
A. adjective. Having feet resembling fins. Now spec. designating or pertaining to a mammalian pinniped (see sense B. below). M19.
b. noun. A pinniped animal; spec. any of a group of mammals of the order Carnivora which have the digits fused to form flippers adapted for swimming (i.e. seals, sea lions, and walruses). Cf. FISSIPED. M19.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲