What is "sting ray"

Ray \Ray\, n. [F. raie, L. raia. Cf. Roach.] (Zo["o]l.)

1. Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order Rai[ae], including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc.

2. In a restricted sense, any of the broad, flat, narrow-tailed species, as the skates and sting rays. See Skate.

   Bishop ray, a yellow-spotted, long-tailed eagle ray ( Stoasodon n[`a]rinari) of the Southern United States and the West Indies.

   Butterfly ray, a short-tailed American sting ray ( Pteroplatea Maclura), having very broad pectoral fins.

   Devil ray. See Sea Devil.

   Eagle ray, any large ray of the family Myliobatid[ae], or [AE]tobatid[ae]. The common European species ( Myliobatis aquila) is called also whip ray, and miller.

   Electric ray, or Cramp ray, a torpedo.

   Starry ray, a common European skate ( Raia radiata).

   Sting ray, any one of numerous species of rays of the family Trygonid[ae] having one or more large, sharp, barbed dorsal spines on the whiplike tail. Called also stingaree.

Sting \Sting\, n. [AS. sting a sting. See Sting, v. t.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) Any sharp organ of offense and defense, especially when connected with a poison gland, and adapted to inflict a wound by piercing; as the caudal sting of a scorpion. The sting of a bee or wasp is a modified ovipositor. The caudal sting, or spine, of a sting ray is a modified dorsal fin ray. The term is sometimes applied to the fang of a serpent. See Illust. of Scorpion.

2. (Bot.) A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secrets an acrid fluid, as in nettles. The points of these hairs usually break off in the wound, and the acrid fluid is pressed into it.

3. Anything that gives acute pain, bodily or mental; as, the stings of remorse; the stings of reproach.

   The sting of death is sin.
   --1 Cor. xv. 56.

4. The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging. ``The lurking serpent's mortal sting.''
   --Shak.

5. A goad; incitement.
   --Shak.

6. The point of an epigram or other sarcastic saying.

   Sting moth (Zo["o]l.), an Australian moth ( Doratifera vulnerans) whose larva is armed, at each end of the body, with four tubercles bearing powerful stinging organs.

   Sting ray. (Zo["o]l.) See under 6th Ray.

   Sting winkle (Zo["o]l.), a spinose marine univalve shell of the genus Murex, as the European species ( Murex erinaceus). See Illust. of Murex.

Sting ray \Sting ray\ or Stingray \Sting"ray`\, n. Any one of numerous rays of the family Dasyatid[ae], syn. Trygonid[ae], having one or more large sharp barbed dorsal spines, on the whiplike tail, capable of inflicting severe wounds. Some species reach a large size, and some, esp., on the American Pacific coast, are very destructive to oysters.

The Sting Ray torpedo is a current British acoustic homing light-weight torpedo (LWT) manufactured by GEC-Marconi, who were later bought out by BAE Systems. It entered service in 1983.