SPINY (spinier, spiniest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: spinier    , spiniest   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does spiny mean? 

• SPINY (adjective)
  The adjective SPINY has 2 senses:

1. having spines

2. having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.

  Familiarity information: SPINY used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPINY (adjective)

Comparative: spinier   
Superlative: spiniest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Having spines

Synonyms:

spinous; spiny

Context example:

the dorsal fin is spinous

Sense 2

Meaning:

Having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.

Synonyms:

barbed; barbellate; briary; briery; bristled; bristly; burred; burry; prickly; setaceous; setose; spiny; thorny

Context example:

setaceous whiskers

Similar:

armed ((used of plants and animals) furnished with bristles and thorns)

Derivation:

spininess (the quality of being covered with prickly thorns or spines)

 Context examples 

Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects medium spiny striatal neurons (MSN).

(Huntington's Disease Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

Based on the new model, the researchers predict that an increase of 1 degree Celsius in seawater temperature, relative to the year 2000, would lead to a 32% increase in methylmercury levels in cod and a 70% increase in spiny dogfish.

(Mercury levels in fish are on the rise, National Science Foundation)

These animals include jaguars, Spix's macaws, harpy eagles, vinaceous-breasted amazons, crowned solitary eagles, hawksbill turtles, green turtles, tarantulas, Amazon false coral snakes, Brazilian green racer snakes, cream-colored woodpeckers, blue spiny starfish, sharks, seahorses, piaba fish, sawfish, bluefin tuna, brown howler monkeys.

(Over 300 animal species threatened in Bahia, Agência Brasil)