hogfish

[ hawg-fish, hog- ]

noun

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

1. a large wrasse, Lachnolaimus maximus, of the western Atlantic Ocean, used for food.
2. any of various other fishes having a fancied resemblance to a hog, as the pigfish and logperch.

hogfish

/ ˈhɒɡˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. a wrasse, Lachnolaimus maximus, that occurs in the Atlantic off the SE coast of North America. The head of the male resembles a pig's snout
2. another name for pigfish

Word History and Origins

Origin of hogfish¹

1590–1600; translation of Medieval Latin porcopiscis porpoise. See hog, fish

Example Sentences

Lorian Schweikert was fishing in the Florida Keys when she hooked a hogfish—a type of tasty wrasse that’s known for its ability to change colors to match its coral reef environment.

From Scientific American

In 2018, researchers found that hogfish skin expressed a gene for an opsin protein, which is the same kind of protein that senses color in the retinas of eyes.

From Science Magazine

When Lorian E. Schweikert, Ph.D., reeled in a hogfish on a fishing trip to the Florida Keys, she noticed something strange after setting it down on the deck of the boat.

From Salon

Later we snorkeled along the shoreline, spotting pencil urchins, neon-blue wrasse, Cortez angelfish and pushy hogfish chasing their neighbors.

From Washington Post

This allows for compassionate and strategic harvesting of species like Pacific threadfin, parrotfish and hogfish.

From The Guardian