trunkfish

[truhngk-fish]

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

any plectognath fish of the family Ostraciontidae, of warm seas, having a boxlike body encased in bony, polygonal plates.

Origin of trunkfish

First recorded in 1795–1805; trunk + fish

Also called boxfish.

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

Examples from the Web for trunkfish

Historical Examples of trunkfish

The trunkfish (Ostracion) in a hard bony box has no need of rapid progress.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)
David Starr Jordan

British Dictionary definitions for trunkfish

trunkfish

noun plural -fish or -fishes

any tropical plectognath fish of the family Ostraciidae, having the body encased in bony plates with openings for the fins, eyes, mouth, etcAlso called: boxfish, cowfish

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