doctorfish

American

[dok-ter-fish] / ˈdɒk tərˌfɪʃ /

noun

a surgeonfish, especially Acanthurus chirurgus, of the West Indies, having a bluish body and black tail.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of doctorfish

First recorded in 1825–35; so named from the knifelike rays on its tail

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

doctorfish

The fish included golden African snappers, blackbar soldierfish, Guinean angelfish, West African goatfish, the Monrovia doctorfish, three-banded butterflyfish, and two species of damselfish.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

Rick watched a pair of brown doctorfish about eight inches long swim by below, then his attention was attracted by a brilliant red squirrelfish peering out of a cleft.

From The Wailing Octopus by Harold L. (Harold Leland) Goodwin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023