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Definition of thornback ray

thornback ray

Plural:thornback rays
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thornback ray Lexical Profile

• noun

1

A species of cartilaginous marine fish native to the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea, characterized by a kite-shaped body and distinctive thorny prickles along its upper surface and tail.

Example

"During the survey of the coastal estuary, the marine biologist recorded a large thornback ray camouflaged against the sandy seabed."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for thornback ray

• Nearby Words

thong
thorax
thorn
thornback ray
thorny devil
thornyhead
thoroughwax

Word Origin & Etymology

Derived from its physical appearance, featuring prominent thorny spines on its dorsal (back) surface, combined with 'ray' from Old French 'raie', ultimately from Latin 'raia' (skate or ray).

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Thornback ray. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/thornback ray
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