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humpback

[ huhmp-bak ]

noun

  1. a back that is humped in a convex position.


humpback

/ ˈhʌmpˌbæk /

noun

  1. another word for hunchback
  2. Also calledhumpback 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 calledhumpback bridge a road bridge having a sharp incline and decline and usually a narrow roadway
“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


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Derived Forms

  • ˈhumpˌbacked, adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of humpback1

First recorded in 1690–1700; apparently back formation from humpbacked
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Word History and Origins

Origin of humpback1

C17: alteration of earlier crumpbacked, perhaps influenced by hunchback ; perhaps related to Dutch homp lump
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Example Sentences

Fathom also gives an intimate look at what scientists undertake to find humpbacks in the vast ocean.

Each whale species, from the humpback to the ultra-rare Omura, has a signature sound.

My wife and I sat there every night of our visit, watching the sunset, the turtles bobbing up for air and the humpbacks breaking the ocean’s surface.

Some whale-watching organizations have suggested that humpbacks appear to breach more often than other species of whales.

Some were North Atlantic right whales, others were humpbacks.

Humpback whales are seasonal migrants found in all of the world's oceans.

The present population of humpback whales in the North Pacific is estimated to be about 1,000 animals.

The distribution, movements, abundance, and habitat requirements of humpback whales are not well known.

Much of the exploitation of humpback whales occurred in the twentieth century, especially during the early 1960's.

In 1966, the International Whaling Commission imposed a worldwide ban on the taking of humpback whales.

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humphumpbacked