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snipefish

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snipe⋅fish

[snahyp-fish]
–noun, plural (especially collectively) -fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) -fish⋅es.
any of several fishes of the family Macrorhamphosidae, of tropical and temperate seas, having a long, tubular snout and a compressed body.
Also called bellows fish.


Origin:
1660–70; snipe + fish
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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snipe·fish   (snīp'fĭsh')   
n.   pl. snipefish or snipe·fish·es
Any of various small marine fishes of the family Macrorhamphosidae, found in tropical and temperate regions and characterized by a long snout and a very long spine extending from the dorsal fin backward toward the tail.
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

snipefish

any of about 12 species of marine deepwater fishes of the family Macrorhamphosidae (order Gasterosteiformes), found in warm and temperate regions. Snipefishes are small, usually deep-bodied fishes that grow at most about 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 inches) long and are commonly silver, pink, or red. They have long, tubular snouts and often bear a partial coating of armour plates along the back. The dorsal fin contains several spines, one of which is usually very long; this spine, together with the tail, forms the handles of the "bellows" for which the fishes have been named

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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