dragonet

American  

[drag-uh-net, drag-uh-nit] / ˌdræg əˈnɛt, ˈdræg ə nɪt /

noun

1. any fish of the genus Callionymus, the species of which are small and usually brightly colored.

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dragonet British  

/ ˈdræɡənɪt /

noun

1. any small spiny-finned fish of the family Callionymidae, having a flat head and a slender tapering brightly coloured body and living at the bottom of shallow seas

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Etymology

Origin of dragonet

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French; see dragon, -et

Example Sentences

The reticulated dragonet fish differs only slightly from other dragnet fish—it has only three spines on its gill cover instead of four, and it has a longer snout.

From Slate • Dec. 26, 2012

The male Callionymus lyra has been called the gemmeous dragonet "from its brilliant gem-like colours."

From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles

The female, or sordid dragonet, was considered by Linnæus and by many subsequent naturalists as a distinct species; it is of a dingy reddish-brown, with the dorsal fin brown and the other fins white.

From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex Volume II (1st Edition) by Darwin, Charles

The gem-like colours of the male dragonet, the butterfly wings of certain gurnards, and the decorated tails of some exotic carps all point in the same direction.

From Charles Darwin by Allen, Grant

As to the dragonet, he stuck out his nose, fixed his eyes, and fell a-thinking.

From Brothers of Pity and Other Tales of Beasts and Men by Ewing, Juliana Horatia Gatty