cowfish

[ kou-fish ]

noun,plural (especially collectively) cow·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) cow·fish·es.
  1. any of several marine fishes having hornlike projections over the eyes, especially a trunkfish, Lactophrys guadricornus, found in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

  2. a sirenian, as the manatee.

  1. any of various small cetaceans, as a porpoise or dolphin or the grampus, Grampus griseus.

Origin of cowfish

1
First recorded in 1625–35; cow1 + fish

Words Nearby cowfish

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

British Dictionary definitions for cowfish

cowfish

/ (ˈkaʊˌfɪʃ) /


nounplural -fish or -fishes
  1. any trunkfish, such as Lactophrys quadricornis, having hornlike spines over the eyes

  2. (loosely) any of various large aquatic animals, such as a sea cow

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