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parrotfish

[par-uh t-fish]
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noun, plural (especially collectively) par·rot·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) par·rot·fish·es.
  1. any of various chiefly tropical marine fishes, especially of the family Scaridae: so called because of their brilliant coloring and the shape of their jaws.
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Origin of parrotfish

First recorded in 1705–15; parrot + fish
Also called pollyfish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for parrot-fish

Historical Examples

  • Among them is the curious and handsome pirarara, or parrot-fish.

    The Western World

    W.H.G. Kingston

  • The most curious of these is the parrot-fish, whose head is shaped like the beak of the parrot, and whose color is light green.

  • They employ it as they do the parrot-fish, to give a different colour to the plumage of their parrots.

    The Western World

    W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for parrot-fish

parrotfish

noun plural -fish or -fishes
  1. any brightly coloured tropical marine percoid fish of the family Scaridae, having parrot-like jaws
  2. Australian any of various brightly coloured marine fish of the family Labridae
  3. any of various similar fishes
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for parrot-fish

n.

1712, from parrot (n.) + fish (n.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper