lionfish

[ lahy-uhn-fish ]

noun

, plural li·on·fish·es, (especially collectively) li·on·fish.

1. a brightly striped scorpionfish of the genus Pterois, especially P. volitans, of the Indo-Pacific region, having long, flamboyant, venomous spiny fins.
2. an Atlantic scorpionfish, Scorpaena grandicornis.

lionfish

/ ˈlaɪənˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of various scorpion fishes of the tropical Pacific genus Pterois, having a striped body and elongated spiny fins

Word History and Origins

Origin of lionfish¹

First recorded in 1905–10; lion + fish

Example Sentences

“Over time, all those pauses add up and allow this lionfish to get closer and closer and closer,” Peterson says.

From Science News

On average, the chromis swam about twice as fast as the lionfish.

From Science News

In 2016, grocery giants Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Publix began offering lionfish, promoting it along with recipes for coconut curry.

From Popular-Science

Given those factors, it’s easy to see why the lionfish, a Pacific looker with a mohawk of poisonous spikes, has been invasivorism’s most brilliant success.

From Popular-Science