anglerfish

[ ang-gler-fish ]

noun

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

1. angler ( defs 3, 4 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of anglerfish¹

First recorded in 1645–55; angler + fish

Example Sentences

How did the ghoulish creatures known as anglerfish pull off the evolutionary feat that let them essentially take over the ocean’s sunless depths?

From New York Times

To better understand the relationships and ages of anglerfish species, they analyzed genome-scale DNA sequence data from over 100 species together with fossil evidence.

From Science Daily

Some use light to startle predators, “like a burglar alarm,” and others use it to lure prey, as anglerfish do, said Quattrini, who is curator of corals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

From Seattle Times

And deep in the North Atlantic Ocean, an anglerfish gapes into the gloom.

From New York Times

But video evidence from the deep ocean suggests that some species of anglerfish — the nightmarish deep-sea fish with bioluminescent lures — live their whole lives upside down.

From New York Times