killifish

[ kil-ee-fish ]

noun

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

1. any of several small, oviparous cyprinodont fishes, especially of the genus Fundulus, found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters.
2. any of several livebearers.

killifish

/ ˈkɪlɪˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of various chiefly American minnow-like cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus and related genera, of fresh and brackish waters: used as aquarium fishes, to control mosquitoes, and as anglers' bait

Word History and Origins

Origin of killifish¹

1805–15, Americanism; perhaps kill ² + -i- (unexplained) + fish

Word History and Origins

Origin of killifish¹

C19: see kill ², fish

Example Sentences

The African turquoise killifish lives in ephemeral ponds in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

From Science Daily

A team of researchers from Cologne, Germany, has now investigated the age-related fasting effects in killifish.

From Science Daily

Such a case unfolded recently for the ichthyologist Wilson Costa of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, who has long studied the diversity of killifish inhabiting southeastern Brazil's Atlantic Forest.

From Salon

California killifish infected with a trematode flatworm, for example, are 10 times to 30 times more likely to become meals for birds than uninfected fish.

From New York Times

So the parasite creates cysts on its host’s brain, causing the hapless killifish to splash around on the surface of the water and flash its shiny belly, baiting the birds.

From Scientific American