filefish

[ fahyl-fish ]
/ ˈfaɪlˌfɪʃ /

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

any of several flattened marine fishes of the family Monacanthidae, having an elongated head with a small mouth and small, spiny scales.
a triggerfish.

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Origin of filefish

First recorded in 1765–75; file2 + fish

Words nearby filefish

file footage, file server, file sharing, file transfer protocol, filecard, filefish, filename, filene, filet, filet lace, filet mignon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for filefish

filefish
/ (ˈfaɪlˌfɪʃ) /

noun plural -fish or -fishes

any tropical triggerfish, such as Alutera scripta, having a narrow compressed body and a very long dorsal spine

Word Origin for filefish

C18: referring to its file-like scales
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