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sculpin

American  
[skuhl-pin] / ˈskʌl pɪn /

noun

  • sculpin,
    plural
  • sculpins
    plural
  1. 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.

  2. any of numerous marine fishes of the same family.

  3. (in California) a common scorpionfish, Scorpaena guttata.


sculpin British  
/ ˈskʌlpɪn /

noun

  1. any of various fishes of the family Cottidae (bullheads and sea scorpions)

"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

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:

To maintain this tradition, a delegation from the opposite clan traveled to Washington, D.C., to initiate the laser and CT scanning and photogrammetry of the sculpin hat.

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

There were some queer fish caught, including quite a number of sculpins, "a wolfer eel,"—so Captain Briskett called him,—and a large catfish.

From Little By Little or, The Cruise of the Flyaway by Oliver Optic

And, would you b'lieve it, them two old critters, Beriah and Eben, gobbled the bait like sculpins.

From Cape Cod Stories by Joseph Crosby Lincoln

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