John Dory

American  

[dawr-ee, dohr-ee] / ˈdɔr i, ˈdoʊr i /

noun

John Dories plural

1. any fish of the family Zeidae, especially Zeus faber, of European seas, having a vertically compressed body and long spines in the dorsal fin.

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John Dory British  

/ ˈdɔːrɪ /

noun

1. a European dory (the fish), Zeus faber , having a deep compressed body, spiny dorsal fins, and massive mobile jaws

2. a related fish, Zeus australis , which is a valued food fish of Australia

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• John Dories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of John Dory

1600–10; see dory ²; jocular formation

Example Sentences

Their open-faced toasts are great — their John Dory Tuna Toasts are always delicious.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025

Recent dishes include a feather-light John Dory tartare with seaweed in cucumber juice and a tender chargrilled piper fish in zucchini purée.

From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2022

The accompaniments are equally straightforward, such as sesame and radish for the scallops, soy and parsley for the fluke, and olive oil and lemon for the black bass, John Dory and flounder.

From Washington Post • May 15, 2019

Mr Moon will eat a baked John Dory sea fish that is commonly served in his hometown, the South Korean port city, Busan.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2018

John Dory pulled at his cigar appreciatively, sniffed its flavour for a moment, and then leaned forward in his chair.

From The Double Four by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)