three-spined stickleback

noun

Gasterosteus aculeatus, a small fish of coastal and inland waters of the Northern Hemisphere, that can make its spines erect when threatened, which makes it hard to swallow.

Similar
Gasterosteus aculeatus
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Meanings

nounthree-spined stickleback (plural three-spined sticklebacks)

plural three-spined sticklebacks · alternative three-spine stickleback

  1. Gasterosteus aculeatus, a small fish of coastal and inland waters of the Northern Hemisphere, that can make its spines erect when threatened, which makes it hard to swallow.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounof rivers and coastal regions

Similar
Gasterosteus aculeatus
Broader
sticklebackprickleback

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Catalan punxoset, espinós
  • punxosetG. aculeatus
  • espinósG. aculeatus
  • jonqueterG. aculeatus
Chinese Mandarin 三刺魚 /三刺鱼
  • 三刺魚 /三刺鱼 (sāncìyú)G. aculeatus
Greek αγκαθερό
  • αγκαθερό (agkatheró)G. aculeatus
Japanese 糸魚
  • 糸魚 (itoyo)G. aculeatus
Polish ciernik, kat
  • ciernikG. aculeatus
  • katG. aculeatus
  • kolkaG. aculeatus
  • czartG. aculeatus
Russian трёхиглая ко́люшка
  • трёхиглая ко́люшка (trjóxiglaja kóljuška)G. aculeatus
Swedish storspigg
  • storspiggG. aculeatus
Cite this entry
APA

three-spined stickleback. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three-spined%20stickleback

MLA

“three-spined stickleback.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three-spined%20stickleback. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “three-spined stickleback,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three-spined%20stickleback.

Source: three-spined stickleback on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.