Etymology Map
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Dugong

3 stages from Malay to English.

Today it means a plant-eating marine mammal of the Indian and Pacific oceans

Where does the word "dugong" come from? It comes from Malay duyung, passing through French before entering English (1800s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
duyung
Malay · medieval
"sea cow"
the sea cow of Southeast Asian waters; Malay putri duyung, 'duyung princess', means mermaid
2
Stage 2 of 3
dugon
French · 1765
"dugong"
the naturalist Buffon introduced the name to European zoology in his Histoire naturelle
3
Stage 3 of 3
dugong
English · 1800s
"sea cow"
borrowed from Buffon's French; its giant Arctic relative, Steller's sea cow, had already been hunted to extinction by 1768
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Read the full story

Dugong’s story begins in Malay: duyung meant “sea cow.” The sea cow of Southeast Asian waters; Malay putri duyung, 'duyung princess', means mermaid. By 1765, the word had taken hold in French as dugon. The naturalist Buffon introduced the name to European zoology in his Histoire naturelle. It reached English by 1800s as dugong. Borrowed from Buffon's French; its giant Arctic relative, Steller's sea cow, had already been hunted to extinction by 1768. Today, dugong means a plant-eating marine mammal of the Indian and Pacific oceans.