panfish

[pan-fish]

noun, plural pan·fish·es, (especially collectively) pan·fish.

any small, freshwater nongame food fish, as a perch or sunfish, usually eaten pan-fried.

Origin of panfish

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; pan¹ + fish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Word Origin and History for panfish

n.

1833, American English, from pan (n.1) + fish (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper