killifish

American  

[kil-ee-fish] / ˈkɪl iˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

killifish,

plural

killifishes

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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Etymology

Origin of killifish

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

Example Sentences

The Brunet lab has played a leading role in establishing the killifish as a model organism.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

The African turquoise killifish is among the fastest-aging vertebrates known, living only four to six months.

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2026

"Seeing these effects emerge so clearly in a rapid-aging model like our killifish was striking," Paulmann said.

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 Minckley, W. L.