red snapper

noun

1. any of several snappers of the genus Lutjanus, especially L. campechanus, a large food fish of the Gulf of Mexico.

red snapper

noun

1. any of various marine percoid food fishes of the genus Lutjanus , esp L. blackfordi , having a reddish coloration, common in American coastal regions of the Atlantic: family Lutjanidae (snappers)

Word History and Origins

Origin of red snapper¹

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75