humpback Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column
    hunchback; kyphosis.
  2. noun a person whose back is hunched because of abnormal curvature of the upper spine
    hunchback; crookback.
  3. noun large whalebone whale with long flippers noted for arching or humping its back as it dives
    humpback whale; Megaptera novaeangliae.

WordNet

Hump"back` noun
Etymology
Cf. Hunchback.
Definitions
  1. A crooked back; a humped back. Tatler.
  2. A humpbacked person; a hunchback.
  3. (Zoöl.) (a) Any whale of the genus Megaptera, characterized by a hump or bunch on the back. Several species are known. The most common ones in the North Atlantic are Megaptera longimana of Europe, and M. osphyia of America; that of the California coasts is M. versabilis. (b) A small salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), of the northwest coast of America.

Webster 1913