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harp seal in British English
noun
a brownish-grey earless seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus, of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans
harp seal in American English
a migratory, earless arctic seal (Phoca groenlandica) having pups with silky, white fur
harp seal in American English
noun
a northern earless seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus, with pale-yellow fur darkening to gray with age, of coasts, drifting ice, and seas of the North Atlantic Ocean, hunted for its fur
Word origin
[1775–85; so called from the harplike shape of markings on the backs of adults]This word is first recorded in the period 1775–85. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: alto, backfire, guideline, impact, pinaforeImage ofharp seal
© Vladimir Melnik, shutterstock