angelfish

[ eyn-juhl-fish ]

noun

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

1. a South American freshwater fish, genus Pterophyllum, often kept in aquariums. Compare scalare.
2. angel shark.

angelfish

/ ˈeɪndʒəlˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of various small tropical marine percoid fishes of the genus Pomacanthus and related genera, which have a deep flattened brightly coloured body and brushlike teeth: family Chaetodontidae See also butterflyfish
2. Also calledscalare a South American cichlid, Pterophyllum scalare, of the Amazon region, having a compressed body and large dorsal and anal fins: a popular aquarium fish
3. another name for angel shark

Word History and Origins

Origin of angelfish¹

First recorded in 1660–70; angel + fish

Example Sentences

Spiny-finned sea robin, blackfish and wayward angelfish swim in the murky ocean tinted green by sheets of algae.

From Seattle Times

Using her bare breasts as paintbrushes, Berlin, beginning in the ’70s, made “tit prints,” in which her pigment-laden aureoles produced forms that resemble balloons and angelfish.

From New York Times

In the first building, she cooed over yellow snappers and pointed out some angelfish, then admired the stripes on some zebrafish.

From New York Times

Blue tang and angelfish glided by a cushion starfish.

From Washington Post

Children hopped up and down and pointed excitedly, mesmerised by a Santa in a floppy red hat waving while floating above the coral and circled by angelfish.

From Reuters