Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish
Cuttle Cut"tle (k[u^]t"t'l), Cuttlefish Cut"tle*fish` (-f[i^]sh`), n. [OE. codule, AS. cudele; akin to G. kuttelfish; cf. G. k["o]tel, D. keutel, dirt from the guts, G. kuttel bowels, entrails. AS. cwi[thorn] womb, Goth. qi[thorn]us belly, womb.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) A cephalopod of the genus {Sepia}, having an internal shell, large eyes, and ten arms furnished with denticulated suckers, by means of which it secures its prey. The name is sometimes applied to dibranchiate cephalopods generally. [1913 Webster]

Note: It has an ink bag, opening into the siphon, from which, when pursued, it throws out a dark liquid that clouds the water, enabling it to escape observation. [1913 Webster]

2. A foul-mouthed fellow. ``An you play the saucy cuttle with me.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Cuttlefish — Sepia latimanus, East Timor Scientific classification …   Wikipedia

  • cuttlefish — O.E. cudele the cuttlefish; first element perhaps related to M.L.G. küdel container, pocket; O.N. koddi cushion, testicle; and O.E. codd (see COD (Cf. cod)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • cuttlefish — [kut′ lfish΄] n. pl. cuttlefish or cuttlefishes (see FISH) [ME codel < OE cudele, akin to Norw dial. kaule (* kodle), OLowG cudele, older Du kuttlevisch: sense “pouch fish”: for IE base see COD2] any of a family (Sepiidae) of cephalopods that… …   English World dictionary

  • cuttlefish — ► NOUN ▪ a swimming marine mollusc that resembles a broad bodied squid, having eight arms and two long tentacles that are used for grabbing prey. ORIGIN related to Old English codd «bag», with reference to its ink bag …   English terms dictionary

  • cuttlefish — /kut l fish /, n., pl. (esp. collectively) cuttlefish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) cuttlefishes. any of several cephalopods, esp. of the genus Sepia, having eight arms with suckers and two tentacles, and ejecting a black,… …   Universalium

  • cuttlefish — [11] The cuttlefish probably gets its name from its resemblance to a bag when its internal shell is removed. Its earliest recorded designation is cudele (the compound cuttlefish does not appear until the 16th century), which is generally taken to …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • cuttlefish — [[t]kʌ̱t(ə)lfɪʃ[/t]] N COUNT (cuttlefish is both the singular and the plural form.) A cuttlefish is a sea animal that has a soft body and a hard shell inside …   English dictionary

  • cuttlefish — UK [ˈkʌt(ə)lˌfɪʃ] / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms cuttlefish : singular cuttlefish plural cuttlefishes a sea creature with ten arms …   English dictionary

  • cuttlefish — /ˈkʌtlfɪʃ / (say kutlfish) noun (plural cuttlefish or cuttlefishes) any of various decapod dibranchiate cephalopods, especially of the genus Sepia, having sucker bearing arms and the power of ejecting a black, ink like fluid when pursued. Also,… …  

  • cuttlefish — [11] The cuttlefish probably gets its name from its resemblance to a bag when its internal shell is removed. Its earliest recorded designation is cudele (the compound cuttlefish does not appear until the 16th century), which is generally taken to …   Word origins

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