surmullet

[ser-muhl-it]

noun

a goatfish, especially one of the European species used for food.

Nearby words

Origin of surmullet

1665–75; < French surmulet, Middle French sormulet, equivalent to sor reddish brown (see sorrel¹) + mulet mullet¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for surmullet

In the goatfish and surmullet the two chin barbels are highly specialized.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
Surmullet, sur-mul′et, n. a mulloid food-fish of the genus Mullus, with two long barbels on the throat.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for surmullet

surmullet

noun

a US name for the red mullet

Word Origin for surmullet

C17: from French sormulet, from sor brown + mullet

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