thornback

[thawrn-bak]

noun

a skate, Raja clavata, of European waters, having short spines on the back and tail.
a California ray, Platyrhinoidis triseriatus, belonging to the guitarfish group.

Origin of thornback

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at thorn, back¹

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

Examples from the Web for thornback

Historical Examples of thornback

It is quite easy to understand why the name of thornback was given to him.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History
Theodore Wood
The Thornback has two immense fins, two great wings to cleave the waves.
The Sea
Jules Michelet
The Thornback Skate is covered with prickles (placoid scales).
Stories of the Universe: Animal Life
B. Lindsay
The boy gave a curious half-sad smile, without turning his eyes from the thornback, and said nothing.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
"Antient maides" were held in little esteem by him; not one thornback is on his list.
Customs and Fashions in Old New England
Alice Morse Earle

British Dictionary definitions for thornback

thornback

noun

a European ray, Raja clavata, having a row of spines along the back and tail
a similar fish, Platyrhinoidis triseriata, of the Pacific Ocean

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