[gren-uh-deer] 
| 1. | (in the British army) a member of the first regiment of household infantry (Grenadier Guards). |
| 2. | (formerly) a specially selected foot soldier in certain elite units. |
| 3. | (formerly) a soldier who threw grenades. |
| 4. | Also called rat-tail, rat tail. any of several deep-sea fishes of the family Macrouridae, having an elongated, tapering tail. |
| gren·a·dier (grěn'ə-dîr') n.
[French, from grenade, grenade; see grenade.] |
| rat-tail (rāt'tāl') n. See grenadier. adj. also rat·tailed (-tāld') or rat·tail (rāt'tāl') Shaped like or having a part shaped like a rat's tail: a rat-tail file; a rattail comb. |
rat-tail
any of about 300 species of abundant deep-sea fishes of the family Macrouridae found along the ocean bottom in warm and temperate regions. The typical grenadier is a large-headed fish with a tapered body ending in a long, ratlike tail bordered above and below by the anal and second dorsal fins. The eyes are large, and the mouth is on the underside of the head. The often extended snout presumably aids in rooting about the bottom for food. Some species have light organs, and some can produce sounds by means of paired muscles attached to the swim bladder. The fish is usually about 30 to 60 cm (1 to 2 feet) long.
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