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devilfish

 - 7 dictionary results

dev⋅il⋅fish

  [dev-uhl-fish]
Use devilfish in a Sentence
–noun, plural (especially collectively) -fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) -fish⋅es.
1. manta.
2. octopus.
Origin:
1700–10; devil + fish

man⋅ta

  [man-tuh; Sp. mahn-tah]
–noun, plural -tas  [-tuhz; Sp. -tahs] .
1. (in Spain and Spanish America) a cloak or wrap.
2. the type of blanket or cloth used on a horse or mule.
3. Military. a movable shelter formerly used to protect besiegers, as when attacking a fortress.
4. Ichthyology. Also called manta ray, devil ray, devilfish. any of several tropical rays of the small family Mobulidae, esp. of the genus Manta, measuring from 2 to 24 ft. (0.6 to 7.3 m) across, including the pectoral fins.
Origin:
1690–1700; < Sp < Pr: blanket. See mantle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dev·il·fish   (děv'əl-fĭsh')   
n.   pl. devilfish or dev·il·fish·es

  1. See manta.

  2. See octopus.

  3. See gray whale.

gray whale  
n.  A whalebone whale (Eschrichtius robustus) of northern Pacific waters, having grayish-black coloring with white blotches. Also called devilfish.
man·ta   (mān'tə)   
n.  

  1. A rough-textured cotton fabric or blanket made and used in Spanish America and the southwest United States.

  2. Any of several rays of the family Mobulidae, inhabiting tropical and subtropical seas and having a large flattened body, winglike pectoral fins, a whiplike tail, and two hornlike fins that project forward from the head. Also called devilfish, manta ray, sea devil.


[Spanish, blanket, manta (from its blanketlike shape), alteration of manto, cloak, perhaps from Latin mantellum, mantēlum.]
oc·to·pus   (ŏk'tə-pəs)   
n.   pl. oc·to·pus·es or oc·to·pi (-pī')

  1. Any of numerous carnivorous marine mollusks of the genus Octopus or related genera, found worldwide. The octopus has a rounded soft body, eight arms with each bearing two rows of suckers, a large distinct head, and a strong beaklike mouth. Also called devilfish.

  2. Something, such as a multinational corporation, that has many powerful, centrally controlled branches.


[New Latin Octōpūs, genus name, from Greek oktōpous, eight-footed : oktō, eight; see oktō(u) in Indo-European roots + pous, foot; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

manta 
very large ray, also called devilfish, 1760, from Sp. manta "blanket" (1748 in this sense, specifically in ref. to a type of wrap or cloak worn by Spaniards), from L. mantellum "cloak." The ray so called "for being broad and long like a quilt" [Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, "A Voyage to South America"].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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