parrotfish

American  

[par-uht-fish] / ˈpær ətˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

parrotfish,

plural

parrotfishes

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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parrotfish British  

/ ˈpærətˌfɪʃ /

noun

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

2. any of various brightly coloured marine fish of the family Labridae

3. any of various similar fishes

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Etymology

Origin of parrotfish

First recorded in 1705–15; parrot + fish

Example Sentences

When the waters south of Miami turned Jacuzzi hot this summer, topping out at 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit in Manatee Bay, scientists agonized over the impact on parrotfish, grunts, spiny lobsters and coral reefs.

From Scientific American • Sep. 8, 2023

Sure enough, the fake parrotfish passing above did not alarm the damselfish.

From DOGO News • Sep. 7, 2023

However, hiding behind a larger nonpredatory fish, such as a parrotfish, until its prey is within striking range seems to be one of its favorite hunting strategies.

From New York Times • Aug. 7, 2023

Peering through scuba masks at waterproof clipboards, the divers swam through schools of iridescent parrotfish and yellow and black striped sergeant majors as they tried to find specimens in the 1½-acre ocean nursery.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2023

There are dolphins and parrotfish, hawksbill turtles and shovelnose sharks.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García