top definitions
quizzes
examples
explore dictionary

shovel-nosed

[ shuhv-uh l-nohzd ]

/ ˈʃʌv əlˌnoʊzd /

adjective

having the head, snout, or beak broad and flat like the blade of a shovel.

QUIZZES

Can You Remember Your Favorite Words Of The Day From March?

Even if you’re a habitué of Word of the Day, you haven’t seen our March words in these ways! Challenge yourself to our comprehensive quiz!

Question 1 of 15

What does "habitué" mean?

a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste.

a frequent or habitual visitor to a place.

a lazy person who stays in bed long after the usual time for arising.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shovel-nosed

First recorded in 1700–10

Words nearby shovel-nosed

shove-ha'penny, shove-halfpenny, shovel, shovel beak, shovel hat, shovel-nosed, shovelboard, shoveler, shovelful, shovelhead, shovelnose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for shovel-nosed

His Totem was the shovel-nosed skate, but he has undergone no fusion with that animal.
The Origin of Man and of his Superstitions|Carveth Read
Scaphirhynchus, skaf-i-ring′kus, n. a genus of tyrant-flycatchers: the shovel-heads or shovel-nosed sturgeons.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
In addition to the steer that was slaughtered, a shovel-nosed shark was caught and jerked in like manner with the beef.
The Overland Expedition of The Messrs. Jardine|Frank Jardine and Alexander Jardine
He was a shovel-nosed, big-finned yellow shark, weighing about five hundred pounds.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey

Of the former one species is Chinese, and the other is the shovel-nosed spoonbill or paddlefish of the lower Mississippi River.
Zoology: The Science of Animal Life|Ernest Ingersoll

Test
Your
Word IQ! Play Now