stick·le·back
(stĭk′əl-băk′)n.
Any of various small freshwater and marine fishes of the family Gasterosteidae, having erectile spines along the back.
[Middle English stikelbak : Old English sticel, prick; see steig- in Indo-European roots + Middle English bak, back; see back1.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
stickleback
(ˈstɪkəlˌbæk)n
(Animals) any small teleost fish of the family Gasterosteidae, such as Gasterosteus aculeatus (three-spined stickleback) of rivers and coastal regions and G. pungitius (ten-spined stickleback) confined to rivers. They have a series of spines along the back and occur in cold and temperate northern regions
[C15: from Old English stickel prick, sting + back1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
stick•le•back
(ˈstɪk əlˌbæk)n.
any of the small, pugnacious, spiny-backed fish of the family Gasterosteidae, inhabiting northern fresh waters and sea inlets.
[1400–50; late Middle English stykylbak= Old English sticels goad, thorn (c. Old High German stihhil goad, Old Norse stikill point of a horn) + bæc back1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  stickleback - small (2-4 inches) pugnacious mostly scaleless spiny-backed fishes of northern fresh and littoral waters having elaborate courtship; subjects of much researchfamily Gasterosteidae, Gasterosteidae - sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus, three-spined stickleback - of rivers and coastal regions Gasterosteus pungitius, ten-spined stickleback - confined to rivers acanthopterygian, spiny-finned fish - a teleost fish with fins that are supported by sharp inflexible rays |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
stickleback
n → Stichling m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995