stickleback

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The father fish, meanwhile dances and capers around, in a pas de triomphe at the success of his endeavors One wife, however, does not suffice to fill the nest with eggs; and the stickleback is a firm believer in the advantages of large families.

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Definitions (9)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun Any of various small freshwater and marine fishes of the family Gasterosteidae, having erectile spines along the back.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (6)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • A scientific study published a few months ago reports that the marine stickleback (the ones with the armor plates) came before freshwater sticklebacks (the ones without armor-plating), meaning that this is not an example of the evolution of a new function, but an example of loss-of-function, or what one might term —  Evolution News & Views
  • Finally, we must recall that these three studies focus primarily on the loss of traits ([stickleback] pelvic spines, wing spots, and trichomes). —  Evolution News & Views
  • The treatments killed an estimated 25 million stickleback, along with 80,000 suckers, 450 rainbow trout and 235 silver salmon. —  Anchorage Daily News - Alaska News
  • Three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).
  • There are two forms of the stickleback: the oceanic and the freshwater type. —  Scientific Blogging
 

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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English stikelbak : Old English sticel, prick; see steig- in Indo-European roots + Middle English bak, back; see back1.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Also corruptly sticklebag, and metamorphosed tittlebat; from Middle English *stikelbak, stykylbak; from stickle + back. Cf. thornback, and see stickling.
 

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/ˈstɪklbæk/
by American Heritage

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