blackfish

American  

[blak-fish] / ˈblækˌfɪʃ /

noun

blackfishes plural

1. any of various dark-colored fishes, as the tautog, Tautoga onitis, or the black sea bass, Centropristes striata.

2. a small, freshwater food fish, Dallia pectoralis, found in Alaska and Siberia, noted for its ability to survive frozen in ice.

3. black whale.

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blackfish British  

/ ˈblækˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a minnow-like Alaskan freshwater fish, Dallia pectoralis , related to the pikes and thought to be able to survive prolonged freezing

2. a female salmon that has recently spawned Compare redfish

3. any of various other dark fishes, esp the luderick, a common edible Australian estuary fish

4. another name for pilot whale

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Etymology

Origin of blackfish

An Americanism first recorded in 1680–90; black + fish

Example Sentences

Spiny-finned sea robin, blackfish and wayward angelfish swim in the murky ocean tinted green by sheets of algae.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 30, 2023

The orca’s journey from wild to captive would spark a worldwide sensation and change everything we knew about "blackfish."

From Seattle Times • Dec. 13, 2018

Having read about and seen dozens of pictures of blackfish before I came to Ascension, I didn’t expect to like or appreciate them as much as I do.

From Scientific American • Sep. 18, 2015

Raw blackfish dotted with pine-bud syrup was tougher than the crudi had been on other nights.

From New York Times • Sep. 9, 2014

I will wade across the river of the blackfish, the otter, the beaver.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann