sawfish

[ saw-fish ]

/ ˈsɔˌfɪʃ /

noun, plural (especially collectively) saw·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) saw·fish·es.

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.

QUIZZES

Can You Remember Your Favorite Words Of The Day From March?

Even if you’re a habitué of Word of the Day, you haven’t seen our March words in these ways! Challenge yourself to our comprehensive quiz!

Question 1 of 15

What does "habitué" mean?

a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste.

a frequent or habitual visitor to a place.

a lazy person who stays in bed long after the usual time for arising.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sawfish

First recorded in 1655–65; saw¹ + fish

Words nearby sawfish

sawder, sawdust, sawdust trail, sawdusty, sawed-off, sawfish, sawfly, sawhorse, sawm, sawmill, sawn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sawfish

Turtles, fish, ospreys and rare freshwater sharks and sawfish thrive there.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution|Nina Lakhani|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ned and Dick were in the skiff which had been towed by the power boat, hoping to harpoon a sawfish or a shark.
Dick in the Everglades|A. W. Dimock
And it was to jab harpoons and spears into porpoises and manatee and sawfish, and be dragged about in their boat.
Tales of Fishes|Zane Grey
Before they had passed out of sight of the girl, the sawfish turned around and for the first time headed for the skiff.
Dick in the Everglades|A. W. Dimock

The sawfish, Pristis antiquorum, ranks by himself between the rays and sharks.
Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures in Art|John Vinycomb
Then the sawfish rolled over on its side, turning one edge of the saw toward the surface.
The Haunters of the Silences|Charles G. D. Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for sawfish

sawfish

/ (ˈsɔːˌfɪʃ) /

noun plural -fish or -fishes

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012