jawfish

[jaw-fish]

noun

plural

jawfish ,

plural

jawfishes .

1. any of several large-mouthed fishes of the family Opisthognathidae, common along sandy bottoms of warm seas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of jawfish¹

jaw ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

To showcase their would-be nursery, male jawfish court females by swimming in a series of swoops, arching their backs and flaring their fins.

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This scary creature looks like something from another planet - it's a jawfish spotted off the US coast.

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I first encountered a male jawfish with a mouth full of eggs in 2010 while diving in Wakatobi National Park, in Indonesia, while doing independent undergraduate research.

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Of the eight such families, three consist solely of paternal mouthbrooders: jawfish, cardinalfish, and sea catfish.

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