squirrelfish

[ skwur-uhl-fish, skwuhr-or, especially British, skwir- ]

noun

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

1. any of several brightly colored, nocturnal fishes of the family Holocentridae, inhabiting shallow waters of tropical reefs, especially the reddish Holocentrus ascensionis of the West Indies, armed with sharp spines and scales.

squirrelfish

/ ˈskwɪrəlˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any tropical marine brightly coloured teleost fish of the family Holocentridae

Word History and Origins

Origin of squirrelfish¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; perhaps after the sound it makes out of water, likened to a squirrel's bark

Word History and Origins

Origin of squirrelfish¹

C18: so called because it can make a squirrel-like noise

Example Sentences

Tiny demoiselles fluttered around them, and a pair of red squirrelfish watched from the shelter of a purple coral fan.

From Project Gutenberg