# thornback

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Any animal with a thorny back, especially marine animals, such as:
2. Any animal with a thorny back, especially marine animals, such as:
3. Any animal with a thorny back, especially marine animals, such as:
4. A woman over a certain age (variously 26 or 30) who has never married, older than a spinster.

## Etymology
From Middle English thornbak; equivalent to thorn + back.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thornback