damselfish

[ dam-zuhl-fish ]

noun

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

1. any of several chiefly tropical, brilliantly colored, marine fishes of the family Pomacentridae, living among coral reefs.

damselfish

/ ˈdæmzəlˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any small tropical percoid fish of the family Pomacentridae, having a brightly coloured deep compressed body See also anemone fish

Word History and Origins

Origin of damselfish¹

First recorded in 1900–05; damsel + fish

Example Sentences

The Cambridge researchers attached 3D plastic models of trumpetfish and parrotfish to a wire pulley system and deployed them inside a colony of damselfish.

From DOGO News

The scientists began by pulling only the 3D parrotfish over the damselfish habitat.

From DOGO News

The researchers then pulled the fake fish along the wire, together and one at a time, and filmed the reaction of the damselfish.

From New York Times

The study examined sites around the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, focusing on a small fish known as the jewel damselfish.

From Scientific American

We swam under a rock arch and through a short tunnel as damselfish, and ornate wrasse glided by in a mesmerizing parade.

From Washington Post