guppy

[guhp-ee]

noun, plural gup·pies.

a small, freshwater topminnow, Poecilia reticulata, often kept in aquariums.

Origin of guppy

named after R.J.L. Guppy (1836–1916) of Trinidad, who presented specimens to the British Museum; catalogued under the New Latin name Gerardinus guppyi in 1866

Also called rainbow fish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for guppy

Historical Examples of guppy

"There are two branches to this subject, Jobling," says Mr. Guppy.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXIX., October, 1852
Various
"He is ours, Jobling, and I am acquainted with him," Mr. Guppy retorts.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXIX., October, 1852
Various
Yet 'ere are you a-complainin' because Guppy gets 'imself 'urt.
Adventures of Bindle
Herbert George Jenkins
The fourth brings us the Jellybys, with Mr. Guppy, and others.
The Problem of 'Edwin Drood'
W. Robertson Nicoll
As I write these lines, the vision of 'Mr. Guppy' rises before me.
Atlantic Classics, Second Series
Henry C. Merwin

British Dictionary definitions for guppy

guppy

noun plural -pies

a small brightly coloured freshwater viviparous cyprinodont fish, Lebistes reticulatus, of N South America and the Caribbean: a popular aquarium fish

Word Origin for guppy

C20: named after R. J. L. Guppy, 19th-century clergyman of Trinidad who first presented specimens to the British Museum

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

Word Origin and History for guppy

1925, named for R.J.L. Guppy, Trinidad clergyman who supplied the first specimen (1866) to the British Museum. The family name is from a place in Dorset. The class of streamlined U.S. submarines (1948) is an acronym from greater underwater propulsion power + -y.