milkfish

American  

[milk-fish] / ˈmɪlkˌfɪʃ /

noun

• milkfishes,
  plural
• milkfish
  plural

1. a herringlike fish, Chanos chanos, found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

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milkfish British  

/ ˈmɪlkˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a large silvery tropical clupeoid food and game fish, Chanos chanos: family Chanidae

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• milkfish
  plural
• milkfishes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of milkfish

First recorded in 1875–80; milk + fish, so called for its color

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

milkfish

Abeta says the administration is also developing ocean farming of species like milkfish, snapper and sea cucumbers to support exports and domestic food security.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026

The menu is filled with classic Filipino dishes; pork sisig, silog paired with everything from milkfish to longanisa, beef calderata, crispy fried pork leg and lumpia.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2021

On a recent visit, daing na bangus — whole fried milkfish, butterflied and divested of bones, with a short tail still attached — arrived bronzed and near monumental, larger than other specimens around town.

From New York Times ● May 31, 2018

As Kofe and John tossed chunks of milkfish into the water, great frigatebirds hovered just above them, occasionally plucking a morsel from the surface.

From New York Times ● Jul. 18, 2011

Hawaii was also unique within Polynesia in using mass labor for aquaculture, by constructing large fishponds in which milkfish and mullet were grown.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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