topminnow

[top-min-oh]

noun, plural (especially collectively) top·min·now, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) top·min·nows.

any of several small, surface-swimming fishes of the egg-laying family Cyprinodontidae and the live-bearing family Poeciliidae, some of which are used in mosquito control.

Origin of topminnow

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; top¹ + minnow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for topminnow

topminnow

noun plural -now or -nows

any of various small American freshwater cyprinodont fishes that are either viviparous (genera Heterandria, Gambusia, etc) or egg-laying (genus Fundulus)

Word Origin for topminnow

from top 1 + minnow; so called because they are small and swim near the surface of the water

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