dauphin means the eldest son of the king of France. Under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties, the Dauphin of France, generally shortened to Dauphin, was heir apparent to the throne of France. The title derived from the main title of the Dauphin, Dauphin of Viennois. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
dauphin is pronounced /ˈdəʊ.fæ̃/.
Why “dauphin” is a great word
The hereditary title of the eldest son and heir apparent to the king of France, used from 1349 to 1830. From the Old French 'dauphin', meaning 'dolphin', itself from the Latin 'delphinus' ('dolphin'), as the title originated from the personal name and coat of arms of the Counts of Viennois, which featured dolphins. Unlike the generic 'heir apparent' or the broad 'prince', the dauphin was a singular, institutionalized role—the living embodiment of a political tomorrow, yet perpetually in waiting. It was the gilded cradle in the nursery of Versailles, the stifling formality of a court rehearsing for a coronation, and the cold weight of a signet ring bearing a stylized sea creature—a poignant human placeholder for a future sailing always in the shadow of a dying sun.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English Dauphin, from Middle French dauphin, from Old French dalphin, from Latin delphinus; the modern pronunciation is sometimes remodelled on Modern French. Doublet of dolphin.
noun
- The eldest son of the king of France. Under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties, the Dauphin of France, generally shortened to Dauphin, was heir apparent to the throne of France. The title derived from the main title of the Dauphin, Dauphin of Viennois.
- An eldest son.“"I wish we were back in Tenth Street. But so many children came[…]and the Tenth Street house wasn't half big enough; and a dreadful speculative builder built this house and persuaded Austin to buy it. Oh, dear, and here we are among the rich and great; and the steel kings and copper kings and oil kings and their heirs and dauphins.[…]"”
- The title of a dauphin.“Coordinate term: Dauphine”
name
- A placename:; A commune of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
- A placename:; A city in Manitoba, Canada.
- A placename:; A rural municipality in western Manitoba, which surrounds the city; in full, the Rural Municipality of Dauphin.
- A placename:; A borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States.
- A placename:; An unincorporated community in Henderson County, Texas, United States.