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, skate, thornback, salmon, sturgeon, soles, flounders, whitings, smelts, crabs, lobsters, prawns, shrimps, oysters, eels, crawfish, carp, tench, and perch.
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
FISH.—Carp, crayfish, dory, flounders, haddocks, herrings, lobsters, mackerel, mullet, pike, plaice, prawns, salmon, shrimps, soles, sturgeon, tench, thornback.
From The Book of Household Management by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton
Those which I remember to have seen there, of the kinds that are not eaten, are the whale, porpus, shark, dog-fish, garr, stingray, thornback, saw-fish, toad-fish, frog-fish, land-crab, fiddler, and periwinckle.
From The History of Virginia, in Four Parts by Robert Beverley
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
