hogfish

American  

[hawg-fish, hog-] / ˈhɔgˌfɪʃ, ˈhɒg- /

noun

plural

hogfish,

plural

hogfishes

1. a large wrasse, Lachnolaimus maximus, of the western Atlantic Ocean, used for food.

2. any of various other fishes having a fancied resemblance to a hog, as the pigfish and logperch.

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hogfish British  

/ ˈhɒɡˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a wrasse, Lachnolaimus maximus, that occurs in the Atlantic off the SE coast of North America. The head of the male resembles a pig's snout

2. another name for pigfish

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Etymology

Origin of hogfish

1590–1600; translation of Medieval Latin porcopiscis porpoise. See hog, fish

Example Sentences

The researchers used a biochemical technique called immunolabeling to pinpoint the protein’s location in hogfish skin samples and found that it was concentrated in a specific area right below the chromatophores.

From Scientific American • Aug. 22, 2023

Biologists behind the new study took a closer look at hogfish skin and found that these proteins weren’t in the pigmented layer of cells that change the animal’s color.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 22, 2023

As a marine biologist, Lorian Schweikert knew hogfish could change color to match their surroundings.

From New York Times • Aug. 22, 2023

A hogfish changes color when pigment-containing cells called chromatophores interact with light.

From Salon • Aug. 22, 2023

The Bay at hand, and its estuaries, abounded in trout, hogfish, rock, shad, sturgeon and other edible species in season, not to speak of soft-shell crabs, hard-shell crabs, turtles, terrapin, clams and oysters.

From Domestic Life in Virginia in the Seventeenth Century by Jester, Annie Lash