saddleback

American  

[sad-l-bak] / ˈsæd lˌbæk /

noun

1. any of various animals having markings on the back that resemble a saddle, as a male harp seal.

---

saddleback British  

/ ˈsædəlˌbæk /

noun

1. a marking resembling a saddle on the backs of various animals

2. a breed of black pig with a white band across its back

3. a rare bird of New Zealand, Philesturnus carunculatus, having a chestnut-coloured saddle-shaped marking across its back and wings

4. another name for saddle roof

5. another name for col

---

Etymology

Origin of saddleback

First recorded in 1535–45; saddle + back ¹

Example Sentences

If you’re splurging, you start at 4 p.m., which gives you a saddleback view of the city from near the top of Mount Hollywood during golden hour, just before sunset .

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2019

He shows the noise of motorboats distracting saddleback clownfishes from warning against a predator attack.

From The Guardian • Dec. 5, 2017

At its center was a particularly gorgeous tongkonan, the traditional ancestral home of the Torajans, with a massive saddleback roof that rose to two peaks like a stylized Viking ship.

From New York Times • Jul. 30, 2015

Listening to Callaghan on YouTube also reminded me of a point that Nick Smith had made the day of the saddleback release: in New Zealand, killing small mammals brings people together.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 15, 2014

A Gothic gargoyle at another angle of the balustrade hiding the base of the saddleback roof of the tower.

From Romanesque Art in Southern Manche: Album by Lebert, Marie