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Glite Dictionary
🐟 A freshwater fish 🐠 A marine fish
quillback

quillback

9.9
A sea fish with long, sharp back spines that lives near rocky reefs in the northeastern Pacific
  • noun
  • /ˈkwɪlˌbæk/
  • US
: pez quillback
  • Fishermen often catch quillback when angling near rocky reefs in the Pacific Northwest.

Examples

  • The diver spotted a large quillback hiding among the rocks near the ocean floor.

  • The sharp spines of the quillback help protect it from predators in its natural habitat.

  • The quillback is often found near rocky reefs.

  • I caught a quillback while fishing in Oregon.

  • The diver spotted a large quillback hiding among the rocks near the ocean floor.

  • Fishermen often catch quillback when angling near rocky reefs in the Pacific Northwest.

  • The sharp spines of the quillback help protect it from predators in its natural habitat.

Surface Forms

quillback singular
quillbacks plural

Morphology

quillback = quill + back (transparent) = quill + back

The compound straightforwardly names a fish with prominent quill-like dorsal spines or a quill-like back.

Etymology

Quillback combines quill and back. A quill is a 'feather' or a 'sharp spine', so the name fits the Pacific rockfish that has long, sharp spines along its back and lives among rocky reefs.