angelfish

[ eyn-juhl-fish ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) an·gel·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) an·gel·fish·es.

1. a South American freshwater fish, genus Pterophyllum, often kept in aquariums. Compare scalare.
2. angel shark.

angelfish

/ ˈeɪndʒəlˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of various small tropical marine percoid fishes of the genus Pomacanthus and related genera, which have a deep flattened brightly coloured body and brushlike teeth: family Chaetodontidae See also butterflyfish
2. Also calledscalare a South American cichlid, Pterophyllum scalare, of the Amazon region, having a compressed body and large dorsal and anal fins: a popular aquarium fish
3. another name for angel shark

Word History and Origins

Origin of angelfish¹

First recorded in 1660–70; angel + fish

Example Sentences

The resulting image resembled another closely related organism—the long body of a parrotfish mathematically became the curved shape of an angelfish.

From Nautilus