humpback

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column
noun a person whose back is hunched because of abnormal curvature of the upper spine
noun large whalebone whale with long flippers noted for arching or humping its back as it dives

From hump + back.

‘And what business is that of yours, I should like to know, Mr. Humpback? — Moby Dick; Or, The Whale, Herman Melville
I am as suspicious and prone to take offence as a humpback or a dwarf. — Notes from the Underground, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I am as suspicious and prone to take offence as a humpback or a dwarf. — White nights, and other stories, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

kyphosis, hunchback

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