dragonfish

[ drag-uhn-fish ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) drag·on·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) drag·on·fish·es.

1. any marine fish of the family Bathydraconidae, of the Southern Ocean, having an elongated body and flattened head and being biochemically adapted to extremely low temperatures.
2. Also called seamoth. any fish of the family Pegasidae, of tropical Indo-Pacific waters, having armor of bony rings and large, horizontal, fanlike pectoral fins.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dragonfish¹

First recorded in 1685–95; dragon + fish

Example Sentences

One bottom-dweller called the stoplight loosejaw dragonfish uses biofluorescence to alter bioluminescent blue light into red, which acts like a flashlight that most of its prey are physically unable to see.

From Popular-Science