porcupinefish

[ pawr-kyuh-pahyn-fish ]

noun,plural (especially collectively) por·cu·pine·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) por·cu·pine·fish·es.
  1. any of several fishes of the family Diodontidae, especially Diodon hystrix, of tropical seas, capable of inflating the body with water or air until it resembles a globe, with erection of the long spines covering the skin.

Origin of porcupinefish

1
First recorded in 1675–85; porcupine + fish

Words Nearby porcupinefish

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

British Dictionary definitions for porcupine fish

porcupine fish

noun
  1. any of various plectognath fishes of the genus Diodon and related genera, of temperate and tropical seas, having a body that is covered with sharp spines and can be inflated into a globe: family Diodontidae: Also called: globefish

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