bottom fish

¹

noun

1. any of certain fishes that live at or near the bottom of a body of water, as certain of the cod and related species, the flatfishes, and catfishes.

bottom-fish

²

[ bot-uhm-fish ]

verb (used without object)

1. to fish with a weighted line for fish that feed close to the bottom.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bottom fish¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

It was evidently a bottom fish of some kind, and resembled a "hammer-head," but with some marked differences.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a bottom fish, feeding mostly on mollusks, which it crushes with the blunt teeth of the throat.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a bottom fish, feeding on crustaceans and small mollusks, and is found wherever they abound on the outer shoals.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a bottom fish, feeding in company with the large groupers on small fishes and crustaceans.

From Project Gutenberg