Dorsal Fin Definition & Meaning

  • American
  • British
  • Etymology
  • Examples
  • dorsal fin American

    noun

    1. the fin or finlike integumentary expansion generally developed on the back of aquatic vertebrates.

    dorsal fin British

    noun

    1. any unpaired median fin on the backs of fishes and some other aquatic vertebrates: maintains balance during locomotion

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    Etymology

    Origin of dorsal fin

    First recorded in 1760–70

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    "One of the sightings reported a group of single male outer coast orcas slapping each other with their dorsal fins and charging at inner coast females."

    From Science Daily

    Each encounter was carefully recorded, and the individual orcas were identified by markings on their dorsal fins.

    From Science Daily

    "A dorsal fin slowly broke the surface revealing that familiar profile that looked like a shark," he said.

    From BBC

    He thrust the blade into the thick muscle beneath the dorsal fin to attach the tracking device.

    From Los Angeles Times

    Winter had put a life vest on the dog resembling a shark, with a dorsal fin protruding from its back.

    From Los Angeles Times

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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