silverfish

American  

[sil-ver-fish] / ˈsɪl vərˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

silverfish,

plural

silverfishes

1. a white or silvery goldfish, Carassius auratus.

2. any of various other silvery fishes, as the tarpon, silversides, or shiner.

3. a wingless, silvery-gray thysanuran insect, Lepisma saccharina, that feeds on starch, damaging books, wallpaper, etc.

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silverfish British  

/ ˈsɪlvəˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a silver variety of the goldfish Carassius auratus

2. any of various other silvery fishes, such as the moonfish Monodactylus argenteus

3. any of various small primitive wingless insects of the genus Lepisma, esp L. saccharina, that have long antennae and tail appendages and occur in buildings, feeding on food scraps, bookbindings, etc: order Thysanura (bristletails)

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Etymology

Origin of silverfish

First recorded in 1695–1705; silver + fish

Example Sentences

Old manuscripts are usually infested with woodworms, silverfish or “other microscopic creatures with a love of paper.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Dear Heloise: I have lived in my house for many years, and from time to time there seems to be all sorts of different sizes of silverfish.

From Washington Post • Aug. 16, 2021

Peter and his colleagues collect silverfish that have been attracted to the lights they have set up on the Nile river in Bujagali, Uganda, 12 November.

From The Guardian • Dec. 9, 2020

I remember renting a dilapidated stone cottage with a kitchen basement that flooded whenever it rained, and when you flicked the lights on the walls seemed to instantly flex—the result of thousands of receding silverfish.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2015

Before Herbie Goldfarb arrived in Milagro he had a passing familiarity with cockroaches and silverfish, but he had a very spotty record vis-a-vis ants.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols