surgeonfish

[ sur-juhn-fish ]

noun,plural (especially collectively) sur·geon·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) sur·geon·fish·es.

any tropical, coral-reef fish of the family Acanthuridae, with one or more sharp spines near the base of the tail fin.

Origin of surgeonfish

1870–75, Americanism;surgeon + fish; so called from the resemblance of its spines to a surgeon's instruments

Words Nearby surgeonfish

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

How to use surgeonfish in a sentence

Like schools of surgeonfish that unite in the face of an imminent threat, the global community must come together in vision, voice and action to combat the alarming realities of the climate crisis.
Imagine If The Rich Countries That Caused Climate Change Actually Took Responsibility | Surangel S. Whipps Jr. | January 6, 2022 | Time

British Dictionary definitions for surgeonfish

surgeonfish

/ (ˈsɜːdʒənˌfɪʃ) /

nounplural -fish or -fishes

any tropical marine spiny-finned fish of the family Acanthuridae, having a compressed brightly coloured body with one or more knifelike spines at the base of the tail

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

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