killifish

[ kil-ee-fish ]

noun,plural (especially collectively) kil·li·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) kil·li·fish·es.
  1. any of several small, oviparous cyprinodont fishes, especially of the genus Fundulus, found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters.

  2. any of several livebearers.

Origin of killifish

1
1805–15, Americanism; perhaps kill2 + -i- (unexplained) + fish
  • Also called kil·lie [kil-ee]. /ˈkɪl i/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use killifish in a sentence

  • They caught some killies with a bent pin and fried them and they were not half bad.

    Pee-Wee Harris Adrift | Percy Keese Fitzhugh

British Dictionary definitions for killifish

killifish

/ (ˈkɪlɪˌfɪʃ) /


nounplural -fish or -fishes
  1. any of various chiefly American minnow-like cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus and related genera, of fresh and brackish waters: used as aquarium fishes, to control mosquitoes, and as anglers' bait

Origin of killifish

1
C19: see kill ², fish

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012