electric ray

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noun

any ray of the family Torpedinidae, capable of emitting strong electric discharges.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of electric ray

First recorded in 1765–75

Words nearby electric ray

electric needle, electric organ, Electric Peak, electric potential, electric potential gradient, electric ray, electric shock, electric storm, electric strength, electric susceptibility, electric torch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use electric ray in a sentence

The Torpedo or Electric Ray is a name given to any one of the numerous rays having the power of giving electrical shocks.
Fast Nine|Alan Douglas
They came out, and the man flashed the thin electric ray up and down the passage.
The Mummy and Miss Nitocris|George Griffith
I satisfied myself of this without any feeling of annoyance; then, having turned my electric ray on the floor, I perceived a body.
The Man With the Black Feather|Gaston Leroux
Then let the straight lines which radiate out from the sun represent the path of an electric ray.
Aether and Gravitation|William George Hooper

Amongst the skates may be mentioned the celebrated torpedo or electric ray.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, September 1879|Various

British Dictionary definitions for electric ray

electric ray

noun

any ray of the order Torpediniformes, of tropical and temperate seas, having a flat rounded body with an electric organ in each of the fins, close to the head

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