for·tes·cue \ˈfȯrd.əˌskyü\noun alsofor·tes·cure\-yu̇r\; orfor·tes·que\-yü\ (-s) Etymology: alteration (influenced by the proper name Fortescue) of forty-skewer : an Australian scorpion fish (Centropogon australis) having along the back venomous erectile spines capable of inflicting painful wounds — called also forty-skewer, scorpion