parrotfish

American  

[par-uht-fish] / ˈpær ətˌfɪʃ /

noun

parrotfishes plural

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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• parrotfishes
  plural
• parrotfish
  plural

Etymology

Origin of parrotfish

First recorded in 1705–15; parrot + fish

Example Sentences

Parrotfish, for instance, feed on algae and dead corals, digest the crunchy reef material and then excrete it as sand.

From Scientific American • May 12, 2023

Parrotfish, rock beauties, yellowtail snappers, blue tangs and horse-eye jacks are everywhere.

From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2016

Parrotfish start as females and later become males.

From National Geographic • Feb. 14, 2016

Parrotfish browsed here and there, chewing on the coral, alongside reddish squirrelfish, yellow French grunts and large schools of blue tang.

From New York Times • Oct. 8, 2015

Parrotfish should be coated in cheese, seasoned with cumin and baked whole.

From The Guardian • Aug. 12, 2011