thornback
Americannoun
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a skate, Raja clavata, of European waters, having short spines on the back and tail.
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a California ray, Platyrhinoidis triseriatus, belonging to the guitarfish group.
noun
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a European ray, Raja clavata, having a row of spines along the back and tail
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a similar fish, Platyrhinoidis triseriata, of the Pacific Ocean
Etymology
Origin of thornback
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at thorn, back 1
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.
FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, crabs, crayfish, dace, eels, flounders, haddocks, herrings, lampreys, lobsters, mussels, oysters, perch, pike, plaice, prawns, shrimps, skate, smelts, soles, sprats, sturgeon, tench, thornback, turbot, whitings.
From The Book of Household Management by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton
Cod and codlings, turbot, salmon, skate, thornback, smelts, soles, crabs, lobsters, prawns, flounders, plaice, oysters, perch, carp, tench, eels, gudgeons, mullet, and sometimes mackerel, comes in.
From The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory; In Which will Be Found a Large Collection of Original Receipts. 3rd ed. by Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury
Cod, skate, thornback, salmon, soles, eels, perch, carp, tench, flounders, prawns, lobsters, crabs, shrimps, cockles, muscles, oysters, smelts, whiting.
From The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory; In Which will Be Found a Large Collection of Original Receipts. 3rd ed. by Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury
The fish was of the ray species, much like a thornback, but with a long tail like a horse-whip, containing a poisoned sting with a serrate edge.
From History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia by Charles Campbell
FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, crabs, eels, dace, gudgeons, haddocks, herrings, lobsters, oysters, porch, pike, shrimps, skate, sprats, soles, tench, thornback, turbot, whiting.
From The Book of Household Management by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
