sculpin

[ skuhl-pin ]

/ ˈskʌl pɪn /

Save This Word!

noun, plural (especially collectively) scul·pin, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) scul·pins.

any small, freshwater fish of the genus Cottus, of the family Cottidae, having a large head with one or more spines on each side; bullhead.

any of numerous marine fishes of the same family.

(in California) a common scorpionfish, Scorpaena guttata.

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

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sculpin

First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain

Words nearby sculpin

scull, scullery, Scullin, scullion, sculp, sculpin, sculping, sculpsit, sculpt, sculptor, Sculptor's Tool

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

How to use sculpin in a sentence

We put out a bait that anybody with sense would say couldn't catch nothin' but sculpin, and, by mighty, we hooked a halibut!
Cap'n Eri|Joseph Crosby Lincoln
Ye see the miser'ble sculpin thought I'd never stop to open the goods, an' it was a chance I did, mind ye!
Deephaven and Selected Stories & Sketches|Sarah Orne Jewett
Graves, who was fond of salt water fishing, knew what a sculpin was, and appreciated the comparison.
Cap'n Warren's Wards|Joseph C. Lincoln
When we come ashore we had eighteen dogfish, four sculpin and a skate, and Stumpton was the happiest loon in Ostable County.
Cape Cod Stories|Joseph C. Lincoln

The other would-be gunners and fishermen were satisfied to slam shot after sandpeeps, or hook a stray sculpin or a hake.
Cape Cod Stories|Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for sculpin

sculpin

/ (ˈskʌlpɪn) /

noun plural -pin or -pins

US and Canadian any of various fishes of the family Cottidae (bullheads and sea scorpions)

Word Origin for sculpin

C17: of unknown origin

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