dorsal fin

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noun

the fin or finlike integumentary expansion generally developed on the back of aquatic vertebrates.

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Origin of dorsal fin

First recorded in 1760–70

Words nearby dorsal fin

dorsal column of spinal cord, dorsal digital artery, dorsal digital nerve, dorsal digital nerve of foot, dorsal digital vein of toe, dorsal fin, dorsal flexure, dorsalgia, dorsal horn, dorsal interosseous muscle of foot, dorsal interosseous muscle of hand

How to use dorsal fin in a sentence

The building is festooned with cartoon-like images of fish, including dorsal fins that poke out of the roof.
Become a Fried Seafood Believer at South Beach Market|Jane & Michael Stern|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has silvery blue skin and a red dorsal fin that runs the length of its body.
Fishy Mystery: Are Beached Oarfish Trying to Tell Us Something?|Kevin Bailey|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The first and last lines of Lolita make my dorsal hairs quiver, as Nabokov intended.
Blake Bailey: How I Write|Noah Charney|March 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“The annoying thing about life is that it screws up the production,” Fin muses.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Jan. 7, 2013|Mythili Rao|January 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Relatively misshapen and formless, the dorsal figure is perhaps even more expressive of physical torment.
The Shroud of Turin and Thomas de Wesselow’s ‘The Sign.’|Thomas de Wesselow|April 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Mais on peut bien appeller vn voyage heureux, quand en fin on arrive bon port.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
En fin il parvint Dieppe, & apres quelque sejour il se mit en mer le 26.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Bref ilz remboursent lesditz Marchs de chac deux milles livres, 176 & se mettent en fin la voile le 26.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
The body shields of the head pass gradually into the dorsal plates.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
The tip often forms an abrupt angle with the shaft and there is a keel on the dorsal surface of the tip (see figs. 5, 6).
Genera and Subgenera of Chipmunks|John A. White

British Dictionary definitions for dorsal fin

dorsal fin

noun

any unpaired median fin on the backs of fishes and some other aquatic vertebrates: maintains balance during locomotion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012