muttonfish

[muht-n-fish]

noun

plural

muttonfish ,

plural

muttonfishes .

1. ocean pout.

2. mutton snapper.

Word History and Origins

Origin of muttonfish¹

1725–35, mutton ¹ + fish, so called for its muttonlike taste

Example Sentences

“When I was about your age, I stood right here and watched him catch a fourteen-pound muttonfish off the wings of a stingray.”

Read more on Literature

“Paine, you ’member that big muttonfish I caught here?” he asked my father.

Read more on Literature