From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmanateeman‧a‧tee /ˈmænətiː/ noun [countable] 
a large sea animal with flippers and a large flat tail, which eats plants
a large sea animal with flippers and a large flat tail, which eats plantsExamples from the Corpus
manatee• But at that time, biologists also saw sick, disoriented manatees acting strangely by curling their lips and arching their backs.• She has to get manatees picked up and taken to the researchers quickly, before tissue samples deteriorate.• Although sale of manatee meat is against the law, it is still to be found in markets.Origin manatee (1500-1600) Spanish manatí, from a Cariban language 