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gurnard

 - 3 dictionary results

gur⋅nard

  [gur-nerd]
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–noun, plural (especially collectively) -nard, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) -nards.
1. any marine fish of the family Triglidae, having an armored, spiny head and the front part of the pectoral fins modified for crawling on the sea bottom.
2. flying gurnard.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME < OF gornard, prob. lit., grunter ≪ L grunnīre to grunt
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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gur·nard   (gûr'nərd)   
n.   pl. gur·nards or gurnard

  1. Any of various widely distributed marine fishes of the family Triglidae, having large fanlike pectoral fins and a large armored head and including the sea robins.

  2. The flying gurnard.


[Middle English, from Old French gornart, from gronir, to grunt (from its grunting when caught), from Latin grunnīre.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

gurnard

any of the slim, bottom-dwelling fish of the family Triglidae, found in warm and temperate seas of the world. Sea robins are elongated fish with armoured, bony heads and two dorsal fins. Their pectoral fins are fan-shaped, with the bottom few rays each forming separate feelers. These feelers are used by the fishes in "walking" on the bottom and in sensing mollusks, crustaceans, and other bottom-dwelling prey.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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