muttonfish

[ muht-n-fish ]

noun

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

1. ocean pout.
2. mutton snapper.

Word History and Origins

Origin of muttonfish¹

1725–35, Americanism; mutton ¹ + fish, so called for its muttonlike taste

Example Sentences

“When I was about your age, I stood right here and watched him catch a fourteen-pound muttonfish off the wings of a stingray.”

From Literature

“Paine, you ’member that big muttonfish I caught here?” he asked my father.

From Literature