'Manta' definitions:
Definition of 'manta'
From: WordNet
Definition of 'Manta'
From: GCIDE
- Manta \Man"ta\, n. [From the native name.] (Zool.) The manta ray. See also Cephaloptera and Sea devil. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'manta'
From: GCIDE
- manta ray \manta ray\ n. An extremely large pelagic tropical ray of the family Mobulidae, that feeds on plankton and small fishes. It is usually harmless but its size (up to 20 feet across and up to a ton in weight) make it dangerous if harpooned. Called also manta, sea devil and devilfish. See also Cephaloptera and Sea devil. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]
Definition of 'manta'
From: GCIDE
- Cephaloptera \Ceph`a*lop"te*ra\ (s[e^]f`[.a]*l[o^]p"t[-e]*r[.a]), n. [NL., fr. Gr. kefalh` head + ptero`n wing.] (Zool.) One of the generic names of the gigantic ray ({Manta birostris}) of the family Mobulidae, known as devilfish, sea devil, manta and manta ray. It is common on the coasts of South Carolina, Florida, and farther south, and is sometimes found as far north as New York Bay. Some of them grow to enormous size, becoming twenty feet of more across the body, and weighing more than a ton. [1913 Webster]