prickleback

9.9

A small, long fish with spines on its back that lives in northern coastal or fresh waters

noun
/ˈprɪkəlˌbæk/

: pez espinoso

During our trip to the coast, we spotted a prickleback hiding in a tide pool.

Examples

The fisherman caught a small prickleback while casting his net near the rocky shore.
In the aquarium, a prickleback swam gracefully among the rocks and plants.
Goddamn prickleback!

Meet the Feebles (1989)

Synonyms

stickleback

vsprickleback

1 8.6

A small fish with sharp spines on its back that lives in rivers and by the sea

is the common species name without special research focus

Lumpenus

vsprickleback

Specialized

9.9

A group of long, thin sea fish that live in cold coastal waters

is a single species term rather than a genus

Stichaeidae

vsprickleback

Specialized

9.9

A family of slender sea fish called pricklebacks with long eel-like bodies that live in cold northern waters

is a single species term not a whole family

family Stichaeidae

vsprickleback

Specialized

9.9

A group of long thin sea fish called pricklebacks that live mainly in the North Pacific Ocean

is a single species term rather than a broad family group

Surface Forms

prickleback singular

pricklebacks plural

Morphology

prickleback = prickle + back (transparent) = prickle + back

The compound literally describes a creature with a prickly or spiny back, a meaning easily derived from the two base words.

Etymology

Prickleback joins prickle ('a small sharp point') and back ('the rear of the body'), so it names a fish with a prickly, spiny back. That's why a prickleback is a small, long fish with a spiny back that you find in northern seas and tide pools.