blueback

noun

blue·​back

ˈblü-ˌbak

1

: any of various fishes (such as lake herring or glut herring) having a blue or bluish color on the back

especially : blueback herring

2

[so called from the contrast of the blue ink used on its back to the green ink used on the back of the Northern greenback] archaic : a paper note of Confederate money

3

: a bluish discoloration of the backs of turkeys resulting from dissemination of feather pigment through the skin when immature feathers are broken

4

[so called from the color of the coat] : a young hooded seal

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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