soapfish

American

[sohp-fish] / ˈsoʊpˌfɪʃ /

noun

soapfish

soapfishes

any of several serranid fishes of the genus Rypticus, producing a body mucus that gives the skin a soapy quality, as R. saponaceus, inhabiting shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

First recorded in 1875–80; soap + fish

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023