HUMPBACK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does humpback mean? 

• HUMPBACK (noun)
  The noun HUMPBACK has 3 senses:

1. an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column

2. a person whose back is hunched because of abnormal curvature of the upper spine

3. large whalebone whale with long flippers noted for arching or humping its back as it dives

  Familiarity information: HUMPBACK used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HUMPBACK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

humpback; hunchback; kyphosis

Hypernyms ("humpback" is a kind of...):

spinal curvature (an abnormal curvature of the vertebral column)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A person whose back is hunched because of abnormal curvature of the upper spine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

crookback; humpback; hunchback

Hypernyms ("humpback" is a kind of...):

cripple (someone who is unable to walk normally because of an injury or disability to the legs or back)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Large whalebone whale with long flippers noted for arching or humping its back as it dives

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

humpback; humpback whale; Megaptera novaeangliae

Hypernyms ("humpback" is a kind of...):

baleen whale; whalebone whale (whale with plates of whalebone along the upper jaw for filtering plankton from the water)

Holonyms ("humpback" is a member of...):

genus Megaptera; Megaptera (humpback whales)

 Context examples 

In the Brazilian coast, according to Gonçalves, there are 33 species, including the humpback whale, the right whale, Bryde's whale, the fin whale,and the sperm whale, which gained popularity with Moby Dick.

(Brazil to support South Atlantic whale sanctuary bid, Agência BRASIL)