neon tetra

noun

1. a small, brightly colored red and blue characin fish, Pracheirodon innesi, native to parts of the Amazon basin: a popular aquarium fish.

Word History and Origins

Origin of neon tetra¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

A thousand neon tetra, a flock of living quicksilver sewing needles, turned 90 degrees in perfect unison, then did it again, and again, and again, describing a neat, angular box in the water.

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