1. The eldest son of the king of France from 1349 to 1830.
2. Used as a title for such a nobleman.

[Middle English, from Old French, title of the lords of Dauphiné, from Dalphin, Dalfin, a surname, from dalfin, dolphin (from the device on the family's coat of arms). See dolphin.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.