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trunkfish

[truhngk-fish]
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noun, plural (especially collectively) trunk·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) trunk·fish·es.
  1. any plectognath fish of the family Ostraciontidae, of warm seas, having a boxlike body encased in bony, polygonal plates.
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Origin of trunkfish

First recorded in 1795–1805; trunk + fish
Also called boxfish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for trunkfish

Historical Examples

  • The trunkfish (Ostracion) in a hard bony box has no need of rapid progress.

    A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)

    David Starr Jordan

British Dictionary definitions for trunkfish

trunkfish

noun plural -fish or -fishes
  1. any tropical plectognath fish of the family Ostraciidae, having the body encased in bony plates with openings for the fins, eyes, mouth, etcAlso called: boxfish, cowfish
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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