Stickleback Definition
stĭkəl-băk
sticklebacks
noun
sticklebacks
Any of a family (Gasterosteidae, order Gasterosteiformes) of small, bony-plated, marine and freshwater bony fishes with two to eleven sharp spines in front of the dorsal fin: the male builds a nest for the female's eggs.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
Other Word Forms of Stickleback
Noun
Singular:
stickleback
Plural:
sticklebacksOrigin of Stickleback
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Old English and dialect stickle a prickle, spine, sting (Anglo-Saxon sticel) + back. See stick (transitive verb) and compare banstickle.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English stikelbak Old English sticel prick steig- in Indo-European roots Middle English bak back back1
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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