Meanings
plural manta rays
- Any of several very large pelagic rays formerly of the genus Manta, now placed in genus Mobula, with winglike pectoral fins, a long tail, and two fins resembling horns that project from the head.
My favorite are the manta rays. We watch them wing past. The have the largest brain of any fish, I remember.
2020, Jenny Offill, Weather, Granta Books (2021), page 181Synonyms: manta, sea pancake, majestic flap-flap, majestic sea flap-flap
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of several very large pelagic rays formerly of the genus Manta, now placed in genus Mobula, with winglike pectoral fins, a long tail, and two fins resembling horns that project from the head.
More synonyms by meaning
nounextremely large pelagic tropical ray that feeds on plankton and small fishes; usually harmless but its size make it dangerous if harpooned
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Spanishmantarraya
- Englishmanta ray
From Spanish mantarraya, itself a compound from manta and raya; according to Jorge Juan y Santacilia and Antonio de Ulloa, so called “for being broad and long like a quilt”.
More words from Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic شيطان البحر
- شيطان البحرany of several very large pelagic rays
Bulgarian манта
- манта (manta)any of several very large pelagic rays
Catalan manta
- mantaany of several very large pelagic rays
Chinese Mandarin 蝠鱝 /蝠鲼, 鬼蝠魟 /鬼蝠𫚉
- 蝠鱝 /蝠鲼 (fúfèn)any of several very large pelagic rays
- 鬼蝠魟 /鬼蝠𫚉 (guǐfúhóng)any of several very large pelagic rays
Finnish paholaisrausku
- paholaisrauskuany of several very large pelagic rays
French raie manta
- raie mantaany of several very large pelagic rays
German Mantarochen, Riesenmanta
- Mantarochenany of several very large pelagic rays
- Riesenmantaany of several very large pelagic rays
Hungarian manta
- mantaany of several very large pelagic rays
Irish roc na caille
- roc na cailleany of several very large pelagic rays
Japanese 鬼糸巻鱝, 鬼糸巻鱏
- 鬼糸巻鱝any of several very large pelagic rays
- 鬼糸巻鱏 (oniitomakiei)any of several very large pelagic rays
Polish manta
- mantaany of several very large pelagic rays
Portuguese jamanta, manta
- jamantaany of several very large pelagic rays
- mantaany of several very large pelagic rays
Russian ма́нта, морско́й дья́вол
- ма́нта (mánta)any of several very large pelagic rays
- морско́й дья́вол (morskój dʹjávol)any of several very large pelagic rays
Spanish mantarraya, manta gigante
- mantarrayaany of several very large pelagic rays
- manta giganteany of several very large pelagic rays
Swedish manta
- mantaany of several very large pelagic rays
Cite this entry
manta ray. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/manta%20ray
“manta ray.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/manta%20ray. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “manta ray,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/manta%20ray.
Source: manta ray on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.