sawfish

American  

[saw-fish] / ˈsɔˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

sawfish,

plural

sawfishes

1. a large, elongated ray of the genus Pristis, living along tropical coasts and lowland rivers, with a bladelike snout bearing strong teeth on each side.

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sawfish British  

/ ˈsɔːˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any sharklike ray of the family Pristidae of subtropical coastal waters and estuaries, having a serrated bladelike mouth

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Etymology

Origin of sawfish

First recorded in 1655–65; saw ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

Seagrasses provide shelters, nurseries, and feeding grounds for thousands of species, including endangered animals such as dugongs, stalked jellyfish and smalltooth sawfish.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2025

Then, in January, the mysterious ailment began afflicting smalltooth sawfish, a type of large, prehistoric-looking ray named for the look of its long snout lined with sharp teeth.

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2024

To find out, she and colleagues examined 17 genomes from various species of sharks, skates, and sawfish.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 12, 2023

In 2015, scientists found that 3 percent of a critically endangered sawfish population in Florida were conceived through parthenogenesis.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2023

In the rivers of Northern Queensland the saw-fish attain an enormous size, and the Chinese fishermen about Cooktown and Townsville often have their nets destroyed by a sawfish enfolding himself in them.

From Rídan The Devil And Other Stories 1899 by Becke, Louis