tripletail

American  

[trip-uhl-teyl] / ˈtrɪp əlˌteɪl /

noun

1. a large food fish, Lobotes surinamensis, inhabiting the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, having the lobes of its dorsal and anal fins extending backward and, with the caudal fin, suggesting a three-lobed tail.

2. any similar fishes of the genus Lobotes, of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

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tripletail British  

/ ˈtrɪpəlˌteɪl /

noun

1. any percoid fish of the family Lobotidae , esp Lobotes surinamensis , of brackish waters of SE Asia, having tail-like dorsal and anal fins

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Etymology

Origin of tripletail

First recorded in 1795–1805; triple + tail ¹

Example Sentences

We liked the tripletail Juliette style, which was a healthy portion of seared fish, topped with shrimp, scallops in chardonnay butter and toasted almonds.

From Washington Post • Aug. 30, 2018

The tripletail Matecumbe was excellent, served in a sauce of salt, pepper, olive oil, onion, capers, shallots and fresh basil leaves, a little reminiscent of a puttanesca.

From Washington Post • Aug. 30, 2018

Markris, right, and Scott Heggeman prepare to ice a tripletail.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the sun gets up, Mobile Bay tripletail rise in the water column and hang around structure like channel markers, floating buoys and range markers.

From Time Magazine Archive

He had rigged the slip-float so his bait stayed shallow, only four feet below the float, because tripletail often hover just beneath a buoy, laying lazily in its shadow.

From Time Magazine Archive