sculpin
Americannoun
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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.
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any of numerous marine fishes of the same family.
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(in California) a common scorpionfish, Scorpaena guttata.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sculpin
First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In 2012 a cultural specialist from the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska recognized a severely damaged clan crest hat in the form of a sculpin fish on NMNH’s shelves.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 29, 2022
The golf ball-shaped cold-water fish is now on display, for a limited time, in the eelgrass area of the aquarium’s Puget Sound Fish alongside the sailfin sculpin and high cockscomb.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2022
“Maybe a little ahead of his time. The Shenk sculpin and LeTort cricket? They’re go-to flies.”
From Washington Times ● Mar. 5, 2016
Its removal restored a habitat for American eel, brook trout, brown trout, slimy sculpin, and sea lamprey.
From The Verge ● Jan. 28, 2016
Earl Wakefield caught a sculpin with two heads and sold it to the museum for eight dollars.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Affected species include the brown and rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and sculpins that are a food source for the larger fish.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2021
In the algae-filled ponds of the New Delta East—land created by the undammed Elwha—we netted hundreds of knuckle-size sculpins, sticklebacks, snails, and baby flounder, along with lots of perfectly round beaver poop.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 26, 2016
Two poisonings have also hurt the fish population and trout food sources, including sculpins and other marine wildlife trout eat.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 5, 2016
The dog happened to be down at the shore, forlornly searching for sculpins and caplin.
From Grenfell: Knight-Errant of the North by Waldo, Fullerton
On throwing a piece of codfish into the water, three or four heavy, clumsy-looking fish, called in Newfoundland sculpins, would swim in to catch it.
From Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals by Weir, Harrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
