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butterflyfish

[ buht-er-flahy-fish ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) but·ter·fly·fish·es, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) but·ter·fly·fish.
  1. any tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae, having large, broad fins or brilliant coloration, or both.
  2. a blenny, Blennius ocellaris, of Europe.


butterflyfish

noun

  1. any small tropical marine percoid fish of the genera Chaetodon, Chelmon , etc, that has a deep flattened brightly coloured or strikingly marked body and brushlike teeth: family Chaetodontidae See also angelfish
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of butterflyfish1

First recorded in 1730–40; butterfly + fish

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