manta ray en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmæntə ɹeɪ/ (General-American)
Etymology
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”.
Meanings
-
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 181:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| manta rays | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
majestic flap-flap · majestic sea flap-flap · manta · sea pancake
Translations (23)
ca manta (any of several very large pelagic rays) · hu manta (any of several very large pelagic rays) · pt jamanta (any of several very large pelagic rays) · nv łóóʼ adishishí ntsxaaígíí (any of several very large pelagic rays) · ja 鬼糸巻鱏 (any of several very large pelagic rays) · ru ма́нта (any of several very large pelagic rays) · cmn 蝠鱝 /蝠鲼 (any of several very large pelagic rays) · pl manta (any of several very large pelagic rays) · de Riesenmanta (any of several very large pelagic rays) · ru морско́й дья́вол (any of several very large pelagic rays) · ar شيطان البحر (any of several very large pelagic rays) · fr raie manta (any of several very large pelagic rays) · es mantarraya (any of several very large pelagic rays) · cmn 鬼蝠魟 /鬼蝠𫚉 (any of several very large pelagic rays) · pt manta (any of several very large pelagic rays) · fi paholaisrausku (any of several very large pelagic rays) · sv manta (any of several very large pelagic rays) · mh boraan̄ (any of several very large pelagic rays) · ja 鬼糸巻鱝 (any of several very large pelagic rays) · bg манта (any of several very large pelagic rays) · ga roc na caille (any of several very large pelagic rays) · es manta gigante (any of several very large pelagic rays) · de Mantarochen (any of several very large pelagic rays)
wikipedia: Jorge Juan y Santacilia · wikipedia: Antonio de Ulloa