John Dory

American  

[dawr-ee, dohr-ee] / ˈdɔr i, ˈdoʊr i /

noun

John Dories plural

1. any fish of the family Zeidae, especially Zeus faber, of European seas, having a vertically compressed body and long spines in the dorsal fin.

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John Dory British  

/ ˈdɔːrɪ /

noun

1. a European dory (the fish), Zeus faber , having a deep compressed body, spiny dorsal fins, and massive mobile jaws

2. a related fish, Zeus australis , which is a valued food fish of Australia

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Etymology

Origin of John Dory

1600–10; see dory ²; jocular formation

Example Sentences

Their open-faced toasts are great — their John Dory Tuna Toasts are always delicious.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025

A fillet of John Dory, slowly cooked in butter, comes with a sauce of lightly sweetened lemon juice and olive oil and a dusting of lime leaf zest.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023

Her new flagship has taken over the former John Dory Oyster Bar space in the Ace Hotel in NoMad.

From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2019

Mr Moon will eat a baked John Dory sea fish that is commonly served in his hometown, the South Korean port city, Busan.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2018

Another of the John Dory shape, but scarcely an inch long, blue as a sapphire with gold fins and gold-tipped tail, hovers over a miniature blue-black cave.

From Confessions of a Beachcomber by Banfield, E. J. (Edmund James)