cichlid

American  

[sik-lid] / ˈsɪk lɪd /

Also cichloid

noun

1. any of the spiny-rayed, freshwater fishes constituting the family Cichlidae, of South America, Africa, and southern Asia, superficially resembling the American sunfishes and popular in home aquariums.

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adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the family Cichlidae.

cichlid British  

/ ˈsɪklɪd /

noun

1. any tropical freshwater percoid fish of the family Cichlidae, which includes the mouthbrooders. Cichlids are popular aquarium fishes

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Cichlidae

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cichloid
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cichlid

1880–85; < New Latin Cichlidae, equivalent to Cichl ( a ) a genus (< Greek kíchlē thrush, wrasse) + -idae -id ²

Example Sentences

Cichlid fish in Lake Malawi, located in East Africa, provide a striking example.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

Cichlid fish that practice mouthbrooding, in which the parents protect their eggs and babies from predators by carrying them around inside their mouths, sometimes get hungry and swallow their own children.

From Slate • Jan. 9, 2017

Cichlid fish off the Tanzanian shore of Lake Victoria seem to be evolving in this manner as their populations stop mating with one another in the wild — the first step in speciation.

From Nature • Oct. 6, 2015

Figure 11.19 Cichlid fish from Lake Apoyeque, Nicaragua, show evidence of sympatric speciation.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Cichlid fishes not only are often beautifully colored; they also display many highly evolved social and reproductive behaviors.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2010