seahorse

or sea horse

[ see-hawrs ]

/ ˈsiˌhɔrs /

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noun

any fish of the genus Hippocampus, of the pipefish family, having a prehensile tail, an elongated snout, and a head bent at right angles to the body.

a fabled marine animal with the foreparts of a horse and the hind parts of a fish.

a walrus.

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Origin of seahorse

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English sehors, possibly meaning “walrus”; compare German Seeross; see origin at sea, horse

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

How to use seahorse in a sentence

My dad was a sailor, and all through my childhood he was away half of the time at sea, and to an extent I have a similar job.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is the only tourist center Ukraine has left on the Black Sea, since Russia annexed Crimea last spring.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The wreckage lies no more than around 100 feet down in the Java Sea.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I mean, the reality of it was, I had to go out and get on a horse, and ride in, shoot the gun — how hard was that, right?
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

And for those on the Palestinian right who still dream of driving the Jews into the sea, they too can forget it.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Edna did not reveal so much as all this to Madame Ratignolle that summer day when they sat with faces turned to the sea.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Edna Pontellier, casting her eyes about, had finally kept them at rest upon the sea.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The countries about the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and its adjoining waters.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
All things that are of the earth, shall return to the earth again, and all waters shall return to the sea.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
At the mention of the Merrill Horse, Poindexter's countenance took on a demoniac expression.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for seahorse

sea horse

noun

any marine teleost fish of the temperate and tropical genus Hippocampus, having a bony-plated body, a prehensile tail, and a horselike head and swimming in an upright position: family Syngnathidae (pipefishes)

an archaic name for the walrus

a fabled sea creature with the tail of a fish and the front parts of a horse

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