opah

American  

[oh-puh] / ˈoʊ pə /

noun

1. a large, deep-bodied, brilliantly colored, oceanic food fish, Lampris regius.

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opah British  

/ ˈəʊpə /

noun

1. Also called: moonfish.   kingfish.  a large soft-finned deep-sea teleost fish, Lampris regius (or luna ), of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, having a deep, brilliantly coloured body: family Lampridae

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Etymology

Origin of opah

First recorded in 1740–50; < an unidentified West African source

Example Sentences

Testing showed that the opah is able to maintain a core body temperature about 5 degrees Celsius warmer than the surrounding water.

From Washington Post • May 14, 2015

The car-tire-size opah is striking enough thanks to its rotund, silver body.

From Scientific American • May 14, 2015

But the opah is the only fish scientists know of that has this design in its gills, where most fish lose the majority of their body heat to the surrounding cold water.

From Washington Post • May 14, 2015

"It's hard to stay warm when you're surrounded by cold water, but the opah has figured it out."

From Scientific American • May 14, 2015

"Dialectic forms in Algonquin for white are wabi, wape, wampi, etc.; for morning, wapan, wapanch, opah; for east, wapa, wanbun, etc.; for day, wompan, oppan; for light, oppung."

From Myths and myth-makers: Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology by Fiske, John