bowfin

[ boh-fin ]

noun

1. a carnivorous ganoid fish, Amia calva, found in sluggish fresh waters of eastern North America.

bowfin

/ ˈbəʊˌfɪn /

noun

1. a primitive North American freshwater bony fish, Amia calva , with an elongated body and a very long dorsal fin: family Amiidae

Word History and Origins

Origin of bowfin¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; bow ² + fin ¹

Example Sentences

Such fishes as the garpike and the bowfin have lung-like air-bladders and gulp air from the surface of the water.

From Project Gutenberg

In the bowfin (Amia calva), trematodes existed in enormous numbers.

From Project Gutenberg

Near relatives of the bowfin flourished in the Mesozoic, among them some with a forked tail, and some with a very long one.

From Project Gutenberg