hatchetfish

[ hach-it-fish ]

noun

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

1. any deep-sea fishes of the genera Argyropelicus, Sternoptyx, and related genera, of tropical and temperate waters, having a silvery, hatchet-shaped body.
2. Also called fly·ing char·a·cin [flahy, -ing , kar, -, uh, -sin]. any of several freshwater fishes of the genera Carnegiella, Gasteropelecus, and Thorachocharax, occurring from Panama to the Rio de la Plata and capable of flying short distances by rapid movements of their large pectoral fins.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hatchetfish¹

First recorded in 1930–35; hatchet + fish