stingray

[sting-rey]

noun

any of the rays, especially of the family Dasyatidae, having a long, flexible tail armed near the base with a strong, serrated bony spine with which they can inflict painful wounds.

Origin of stingray

First recorded in 1605–15; sting + ray²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stingray

Historical Examples of stingray

“It must be what they call a stingaree or stingray,” Jack went on.
Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys
Louis Arundel
In June he was bitten by a stingray fish while he was spearing it.
The Pocahontas-John Smith Story
Pocahontas Wight Edmunds
Russell's services to Smith deserved note because the Captain was expected to die from the stingray wound.
Medicine in Virginia, 1607-1699
Thomas P. Hughes
The stingray is another native of these seas, the meat of which is much esteemed by the Creoles.
Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume II (of 2)
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for stingray

stingray

noun

any ray of the family Dasyatidae, having a whiplike tail bearing a serrated venomous spine capable of inflicting painful weals on man

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

Word Origin and History for stingray

1620s, from sting + ray (n.2).