pectoral fin
1
6.1
- noun
- /ˈpɛktərəl fɪn/
- Specialized
:
aleta pectoral
- They tickle each other's bellies with their own little pectoral fins.
- large pectoral fins
- long pectoral fins
- dorsal and pectoral fins
Even the catfish have pectoral fins that have razor long steak knife sized defense systems.
- Even the catfish have pectoral fins that have razor long steak knife sized defense systems.
Examples
-
Prominent, partially healed scars were observed above the insertion of the left pectoral fin of the 391 cm female (Fig. 2).
Academic text (1994) -
Holding the gaff in one hand, he reached down and took hold of the nearest pectoral fin.
Academic text (1997) -
I am swimming past his pectoral fin when I see the whale's huge eye rotate in my direction.
Fiction book (2002) -
Slightly heavier than water, they rely on their pectoral fins and large livers filled with oil to give them lift.
Academic text (1994) -
They'll nurse from the long teatlocated at the base of her pectoral fins.
-
A serrated knife was used for removing the fins and tail, and for cutting behind the head and gill slits and forward of the pectoral fin.
Academic text (1997) -
The little fish had a flattened head, a tapered body, and big pectoral fins used for steering through the water.
-
The cownose ray flaps its pectoral fins up and down like a bird to help it navigate in the ocean.
-
Slightly heavier than water, they rely on their pectoral fins to control their movement and lift while swimming.
Synonyms
45
1.0
A flat part on a fish's body that helps it swim and stay balanced
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'pectoral' (pertaining to the chest) combined with 'fin' (swimming appendage) yields a fin located in the chest/side region of an animal. This anatomical noun–noun combination is predictable and cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Pectoral fin uses the word pectoral, meaning the 'chest', and the word fin, meaning a fish limb. These side fins sit just behind the head like little arms and help the fish steer and keep balance.