bocaccio

American  

[buh-kah-choh, -chee-oh, boh-] / bəˈkɑ tʃoʊ, -tʃiˌoʊ, boʊ- /

noun

plural

bocaccios

1. a large, brown, big-mouthed rockfish, Sebastes paucispinis, of California coastal waters.

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Etymology

Origin of bocaccio

First recorded in 1880–85; from Italian boccaccio “ugly mouth,” equivalent to bocc(a) “mouth” (from Latin bucca ) + -accio pejorative suffix, apparently replacing a Latin American Spanish fish name of like formation; compare Spanish bocacha “big mouth”

Example Sentences

The bocaccio, a rockfish whose numbers are worrying fishing authorities, is one big beneficiary.

From Economist • Jun. 12, 2014

Even more surprising, the study also claims that sport fishing accounts for nearly one-quarter of the catch of many overfished species such as red snapper, red drum, and bocaccio.

From Time Magazine Archive