characin

or char·a·cid

[kar-uh-sin]

noun

any freshwater fish of the family Characidae, of Africa and Central and South America.

Origin of characin

1880–85; < New Latin Characinidae name of family, equivalent to Characin(us) the genus (charac- (< Greek charak-, stem of chárax pointed stake, a sea fish) + -inus -in¹) + -idae -idae

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British Dictionary definitions for characin

characin

characid

noun

any small carnivorous freshwater cyprinoid fish of the family Characidae, of Central and South America and Africa. They are similar to the carps but more brightly coloured

Word Origin for characin

C19: from New Latin Characinidae, from characinus, from Greek kharax a fish, probably the sea bream

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012