surgeonfish

[ sur-juh n-fish ]
/ ˈsɜr dʒənˌfɪʃ /

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

any tropical, coral-reef fish of the family Acanthuridae, with one or more sharp spines near the base of the tail fin.

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"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of surgeonfish

1870–75, Americanism; surgeon + fish; so called from the resemblance of its spines to a surgeon's instruments

Words nearby surgeonfish

surge tide, surgeon, surgeon general, surgeon's knot, surgeoncy, surgeonfish, surgery, surgical, surgical abdomen, surgical anatomy, surgical anesthesia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for surgeonfish

surgeonfish
/ (ˈsɜːdʒənˌfɪʃ) /

noun plural -fish or -fishes

any tropical marine spiny-finned fish of the family Acanthuridae, having a compressed brightly coloured body with one or more knifelike spines at the base of the tail
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