parrotfish

[ par-uh t-fish ]

/ ˈpær ətˌfɪʃ /

noun, plural (especially collectively) par·rot·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) par·rot·fish·es.

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.

Nearby words

parrot tulip, parrot's disease, parrot's-bill, parrot's-feather, parrot-fashion, parrotfish, parry, parry channel, parry islands, parry's disease, pars

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for parrot-fish

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
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.
Memoirs of Service Afloat, During the War Between the States|Raphael Semmes

British Dictionary definitions for parrot-fish

parrotfish

/ (ˈpærətˌfɪʃ) /

noun plural -fish or -fishes

any brightly coloured tropical marine percoid fish of the family Scaridae, having parrot-like jaws

Australian any of various brightly coloured marine fish of the family Labridae

any of various similar fishes

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