parrotfish

[ par-uht-fish ]

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.

Origin of parrotfish

First recorded in 1705–15; parrot + fish

Also called pollyfish.

Words Nearby parrotfish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parrotfish in a sentence

He recalls coming across completely uncanny reef noises as he listened back on the recordings from Indonesia, including the grunt of a soldierfish, the scrape of a parrotfish, and the whoop of a damselfish.
Fish sounds tell us about underwater reefs—but we need better tech to really listen | Charlotte Hu | December 9, 2021 | Popular-Science

British Dictionary definitions for parrotfish

parrotfish

/ (ˈpærətˌfɪʃ) /

nounplural -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

Browse