paddlefish

American  

[pad-l-fish] / ˈpæd lˌfɪʃ /

noun

paddlefishes, plural paddlefish plural

1. a large ganoid fish, Polyodon spathula, of the Mississippi River and its larger tributaries, having a long, flat, paddlelike snout.

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paddlefish British  

/ ˈpædəlˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a primitive bony fish, Polyodon spathula, of the Mississippi River, having a long paddle-like projection to the snout: family Polyodontidae

2. a similar and related Chinese fish, Psephurus gladius, of the Yangtze River

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• paddlefish
  plural
• paddlefishes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of paddlefish

An Americanism dating back to 1680–90; paddle ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paddlefish paddlefishes

He did so, and later also sent a partial paddlefish fossil he had excavated himself.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 6, 2022

Dr. Shubin suspected that Qikiqtania abandoned the walking habit that its ancestors had recently evolved, opting instead to swim in the open water something like a modern paddlefish.

From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2022

In 2020 alone, 16 species were declared extinct, including the Chinese paddlefish.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 21, 2022

During excavated Cretaceous fish at Tanis in August 2017, spending two weeks digging out fossils of paddlefish and sturgeons.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 23, 2022

He spoke of it to his friend of the paddlefish investigation.

From The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries by Rolt-Wheeler, Francis

Chemical evidence from one of the paddlefishes indicated that food availability was increasing as it does in springtime, but not at peak summer levels.

From Reuters ● Feb. 23, 2022

Among the survivors were paddlefishes and sturgeons, which survive to this day.

From Reuters ● Feb. 23, 2022