Ray \Ray\, n. [F. raie, L. raia. Cf. Roach.] (Zool.)
(a) Any one of numerous elasmobranch fishes of the order
Raiae, including the skates, torpedoes, sawfishes, etc.
(b) In a restricted sense, any of the broad, flat,
narrow-tailed species, as the skates and sting rays. See
Skate.
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Bishop ray, a yellow-spotted, long-tailed eagle ray
(Aetobatus narinari syn. Stoasodon narinari) of the
Southern United States and the West Indies; also called
the spotted eagle ray and white-spotted eagle ray.
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 Myliobatidae, or
Aetobatidae. 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 Trygonidae having one or more large, sharp,
barbed dorsal spines on the whiplike tail. Called also
stingaree.
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Eagle \Ea"gle\, n. [OE. egle, F. aigle, fr. L. aquila; prob.
named from its color, fr. aquilus dark-colored, brown; cf.
Lith. aklas blind. Cf. Aquiline.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) Any large, rapacious bird of the Falcon family,
esp. of the genera Aquila and Hali[ae]etus. The eagle
is remarkable for strength, size, graceful figure,
keenness of vision, and extraordinary flight. The most
noted species are the golden eagle (Aquila
chrysa["e]tus); the imperial eagle of Europe (Aquila
mogilnik or Aquila imperialis); the American bald eagle
(Hali[ae]etus leucocephalus); the European sea eagle
(Hali[ae]etus albicilla); and the great harpy eagle
(Thrasaetus harpyia). The figure of the eagle, as the
king of birds, is commonly used as an heraldic emblem, and
also for standards and emblematic devices. See Bald
eagle, Harpy, and Golden eagle.
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2. A gold coin of the United States, of the value of ten
dollars.
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3. (Astron.) A northern constellation, containing Altair, a
star of the first magnitude. See Aquila.
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4. The figure of an eagle borne as an emblem on the standard
of the ancient Romans, or so used upon the seal or
standard of any people.
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Though the Roman eagle shadow thee. --Tennyson.
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Note: Some modern nations, as the United States, and France
under the Bonapartes, have adopted the eagle as their
national emblem. Russia, Austria, and Prussia have for
an emblem a double-headed eagle.
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Bald eagle. See Bald eagle.
Bold eagle. See under Bold.
Double eagle, a gold coin of the United States worth twenty
dollars.
Eagle hawk (Zo["o]l.), a large, crested, South American
hawk of the genus Morphnus.
Eagle owl (Zo["o]l.), any large owl of the genus Bubo,
and allied genera; as the American great horned owl (Bubo
Virginianus), and the allied European species (B.
maximus). See Horned owl.
Eagle ray (Zo["o]l.), any large species of ray of the genus
Myliobatis (esp. M. aquila).
Eagle vulture (Zo["o]l.), a large West African bid
(Gypohierax Angolensis), intermediate, in several
respects, between the eagles and vultures.
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