[syn: seahorse, sea horse]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Hippocampus \Hip`po*cam"pus\, n. [L., the sea horse, Gr. ? a
hippocampus (in senses 1 and 2); "i`ppos horse + ? to bend.]
1. (Class. Myth.) A fabulous monster, with the head and fore
quarters of a horse joined to the tail of a dolphin or
other fish (Hippocampus brevirostris), -- seen in
Pompeian paintings, attached to the chariot of Neptune.
--Fairholt.
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2. (Zool.) A genus of lophobranch fishes of several species
in which the head and neck have some resemblance to those
of a horse; -- called also sea horse.
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Note: They swim slowly, in an erect position, and often cling
to seaweeds by means of the incurved prehensile tail.
The male has a ventral pouch, in which it carries the
eggs till hatched.
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3. (Zool.) A name applied to either of two ridges of white
matter in each lateral ventricle of the brain. The larger
is called hippocampus major or simply hippocampus. The
smaller, hippocampus minor, is called also ergot and
calcar.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Sea horse \Sea" horse`\
1. A fabulous creature, half horse and half fish, represented
in classic mythology as driven by sea dogs or ridden by
the Nereids. It is also depicted in heraldry. See
Hippocampus.
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2. (Zool.)
(a) The walrus.
(b) Any fish of the genus Hippocampus.
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Note: In a passage of Dryden's, the word is supposed to refer
to the hippopotamus.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
sea horse
n 1: either of two large northern marine mammals having ivory
tusks and tough hide over thick blubber [syn: walrus,
seahorse, sea horse]
2: small fish with horse-like heads bent sharply downward and
curled tails; swim in upright position [syn: seahorse, sea
horse]