killifish

American  

[kil-ee-fish] / ˈkɪl iˌfɪʃ /

noun

• killifish,
  plural
• killifishes
  plural

1. any of several small, oviparous cyprinodont fishes, especially of the genus Fundulus, found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters.

2. any of several livebearers.

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killifish British  

/ ˈkɪlɪˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of various chiefly American minnow-like cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus and related genera, of fresh and brackish waters: used as aquarium fishes, to control mosquitoes, and as anglers' bait

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• killifish
  plural
• killifishes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of killifish

1805–15, perhaps kill ² + -i- (unexplained) + fish

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

killifish killifishes

The new findings show that similar aging mechanisms also occur in more complex vertebrates like killifish and humans.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

The killifish results provide a behavioral perspective on this phenomenon.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026

She established and maintained the killifish colony at the Lab's Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Aging.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 30, 2026

The Arabian killifish larvae model was developed with support from an NC3Rs project grant as an alternative to using mouse and zebrafish models, which are commonly used to study interactions between pathogens and their hosts.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 23, 2025

The plains killifish was collected by me only at Station 42-S.

From Fishes of the Big Blue River Basin, Kansas by W. L. Minckley

In addition, there are small killifishes whose closest relatives are found in the Seychelles, and freshwater toadfishes with affinities to species in India.

From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2011

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