English Explanatory Dictionary

thornback

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any animal with a thorny back, especially marine animals, such as:
  2. The thornback guitarfish (Platyrhinoidis triseriata), a species of ray in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean.
  3. The thornback ray or thornback skate (Raja clavata), a species of ray in the Atlantic Ocean.
  4. The thornback skate (Dentiraja lemprieri), a fish endemic to Australia.
  5. A woman over a certain age (variously 26 or 30) who has never married, older than a spinster.

Word forms

thornback thornbacks

Etymology

From Middle English thornbak; equivalent to thorn + back.

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