seahorse

/ˌsiˈhɔrs/

/ˈsihɔs/

Other forms: seahorses

A seahorse is a tiny fish with a vaguely horse-shaped head. Seahorses swim upright, with their curled tails pointing down.

Seahorses look different from most fish, with hard, bony exteriors and long snouts. They're also different from almost all other animals because male seahorses give birth to babies, after carrying eggs deposited by the female. The scientific genus of seahorses is Hippocampus, from the Ancient Greek words hippos, "horse," and kampos, "sea monster." There's also a section of the human brain called the hippocampus, named for its resemblance to the seahorse.

Definitions of seahorse

1. noun

   small fish with horse-like heads bent sharply downward and curled tails; swim in upright position
   synonyms: sea horse

   type of:

   needlefish, pipefish

   fish with long tubular snout and slim body covered with bony plates
2. noun

   either of two large northern marine mammals having ivory tusks and tough hide over thick blubber
   synonyms: sea horse, walrus

   types:

   Atlantic walrus, Odobenus rosmarus

   a walrus of northern Atlantic and Arctic waters

   Odobenus divergens, Pacific walrus

   a walrus of the Bering Sea and northern Pacific

   type of:

   pinnatiped, pinniped, pinniped mammal

   aquatic carnivorous mammal having a streamlined body specialized for swimming with limbs modified as flippers