bristlemouth

American  

[bris-uhl-mouth] / ˈbrɪs əlˌmaʊθ /

noun

plural

bristlemouth,

plural

bristlemouths

1. any of several small, deep-sea fishes of the family Gonostomatidae, having numerous sharp, slender teeth covering the jaws.

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Etymology

Origin of bristlemouth

bristle + mouth

Example Sentences

Predators of the bristlemouth turn out to include dragon fish and fangtooths, denizens of the abyss with daggerlike teeth.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2015

The genus has 13 species, such as the shadow bristlemouth.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2015

The tiny fish known as the bristlemouth is part of a detective story that bears on everything from feeding the planet and monitoring ocean health to learning how to better predict climate change.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2015

Though the portrait of the bristlemouth is incomplete, scientists know enough to confidently assert that it far outstrips all other contenders for the title of most common vertebrate on the planet.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2015

It has taken roughly a century and a half, but science has finally come to know the bristlemouth and its ranks of trillions fairly well, even if questions remain.

From New York Times • Jun. 29, 2015