flatfish

American  

[flat-fish] / ˈflætˌfɪʃ /

noun

flatfishes plural

1. any fish of the order Heterosomata (Pleuronectiformes), including the halibut, sole, flounder, etc., having a greatly compressed body and swimming on one side, with both eyes on the upper side in the adult.

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flatfish British  

/ ˈflætˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any marine spiny-finned fish of the order Heterosomata , including the halibut, plaice, turbot, and sole, all of which (when adult) swim along the sea floor on one side of the body, which is highly compressed and has both eyes on the uppermost side

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• flatfishes
  plural
• flatfish
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flatfish

First recorded in 1700–10; flat ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

Flatfish sizes range from the M2 to the Mag Lip 4.5 to the even larger Hog Nose.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2016

Flatfish quality varies, so the ones to look for will be uniform in color and have no bruising.

From Seattle Times • May 28, 2014

A good ol' F-4 frog pattern Flatfish was another very good producer, and the triploid and other rainbow hit a small Wooly Bugger fly with a Wiggle Fin Action Disk on the front of it.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 4, 2012

Flatfish in fly-rod sizes are still my go-to lure when trolling for trout-pond rainbows, whereas the largest sizes are still top lures for giant lakers in the Far North.

From Time Magazine Archive

Charlie Helin patented his Flatfish in 1936, and by his own claim, the Detroit, Michigan, plug maker had sold 5 million of them before 1950.

From Time Magazine Archive