jawfish

[ jaw-fish ]

noun

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

1. any of several large-mouthed fishes of the family Opisthognathidae, common along sandy bottoms of warm seas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of jawfish¹

jaw ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

To showcase their would-be nursery, male jawfish court females by swimming in a series of swoops, arching their backs and flaring their fins.

From Scientific American

This scary creature looks like something from another planet - it's a jawfish spotted off the US coast.

From Children's BBC

I first encountered a male jawfish with a mouth full of eggs in 2010 while diving in Wakatobi National Park, in Indonesia, while doing independent undergraduate research.

From Scientific American

Of the eight such families, three consist solely of paternal mouthbrooders: jawfish, cardinalfish, and sea catfish.

From Scientific American