pipefish

American  

[pahyp-fish] / ˈpaɪpˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

pipefish,

plural

pipefishes

1. any elongated, marine and sometimes freshwater fish species of the family Syngnathidae, having a tubular snout and covered with bony plates.

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pipefish British  

/ ˈpaɪpˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. Also called: needlefish.  any of various teleost fishes of the genera Nerophis, Syngnathus, etc, having a long tubelike snout and an elongated body covered with bony plates: family Syngnathidae

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Etymology

Origin of pipefish

First recorded in 1760–70; pipe ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

Many animals, like the sargassum pipefish, the sargassum slug, and the sargassum frogfish, have bodies that resemble in pattern, color, and shape the brown tendrils of seaweed.

From Slate • Jul. 16, 2023

"It’s a pipefish," says Kes Scott-Somme, a research assistant on the Darwin Tree of Life project.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2022

My back garden is gin-clear water – pipefish and turtles my nosy neighbours.

From The Guardian • Nov. 4, 2018

Like sea horses, pygmy pipehorses have a prehensile tail, but swim horizontally like pipefish.

From Scientific American • Feb. 1, 2011

Like females of many species, male pipefish are choosy about their mating partners, preferring bigger females.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2010