humpback

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈhʌmpbæk/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈhʌmpˌbæk/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(humpbak′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hump•back /ˈhʌmpˌbæk/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Pathologya back that is humped.
  2. Zoology, Mammalsa whale noted for the way it arches its back as it dives.
hump•backed, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
hump•back  (humpbak′),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Pathologya back that is humped in a convex position.
  2. Pathologykyphosis.
  3. Zoology, Mammalsthe humpback whale.
  • apparently back formation from humpbacked 1690–1700

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
humpback /ˈhʌmpˌbæk/ n
  1. another word for hunchback
  2. Also called: humpback whale a large whalebone whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, closely related and similar to the rorquals but with a humped back and long flippers: family Balaenopteridae
  3. a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, the male of which has a humped back and hooked jaws
  4. Also called: humpback bridge Brit a road bridge having a sharp incline and decline and usually a narrow roadway
Etymology: 17th Century: alteration of earlier crumpbacked, perhaps influenced by hunchback; perhaps related to Dutch homp lumpˈhumpˌbacked adj
'humpback' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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