bonefish

[ bohn-fish ]

noun

, plural bone·fish·es, (especially collectively) bone·fish.

1. a marine game fish, Albula vulpes, found in shallow tropical waters, having a skeleton composed of numerous small, fine bones.
2. ladyfish.

bonefish

/ ˈbəʊnˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a silvery marine clupeoid game fish, Albula vulpes , occurring in warm shallow waters: family Albulidae
2. a similar related fish, Dixonina nemoptera , of the Pacific Ocean

Word History and Origins

Origin of bonefish¹

An Americanism dating back to 1725–35; bone ( def ) + fish

Example Sentences

I’d never fished for bonefish before and found the ecosystem of the flats amazing.

From Washington Post

I made the mental observation that the man who had named them bonefish should have had half of that name applied to his head.

From Project Gutenberg

When a bonefish feeds his head is down and his tail is up, and, the water being shallow, the upper fluke of his tail stands out.

From Project Gutenberg

Other men tried it for days without success, though it appeared bonefish were passing every tide.

From Project Gutenberg

I saw many ten-pound fish, but I did not know enough about bonefish then to appreciate what I saw.

From Project Gutenberg

Whenever I would stick my rod in the sand and go in out of the hot sun a bonefish would take my bait and start off to sea.

From Project Gutenberg