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Glite Dictionary
thorny skate

thorny skate

9.5
A flat fish with spines on its back that lives on cold ocean floors
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : patín espinoso
  • Fishermen often recognize the thorny skate by the distinctive spines on its back.

Examples

  • The thorny skate inhabits the cold, deep waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.

  • Researchers are studying the decline in thorny skate populations in recent years.

  • The thorny skate is known for its unique appearance.

  • Have you ever seen a thorny skate in the wild?

  • Fishermen often recognize the thorny skate by the distinctive spines on its back.

  • Researchers are studying the decline in thorny skate populations in recent years.

  • The thorny skate inhabits the cold, deep waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Synonyms

skate
vsthorny skate
32 7.9

A large sea fish with wide flat fins often served as food

is one specific species that has spines on its back and defined maximum length
Raja radiata
vsthorny skate
  • Specialized
9.9

A cold-water fish that lives on the sea floor with sharp spines on its back

is the everyday common name for the same fish

Surface Forms

thorny skate singular
thorny skates plural

Morphology

thorny + skate

The compound is a straightforward adjective+noun combination where 'thorny' (having spines) modifies 'skate' (a flat-bodied ray), so the meaning 'a skate with spines' follows directly from the parts. This compositional, literal pattern is common cross-linguistically and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words, even if they haven't seen the specific species name before.

Etymology

Thorny skate is the name for a flat sea 'fish' that has sharp spines on its back. The word thorny points to those spines and skate is the kind of flat fish that lives on the sea floor, so the name gives a clear picture of this spiny fish.