parrotfish

American  

[par-uht-fish] / ˈpær ətˌfɪʃ /

noun

PLURAL

parrotfish,

PLURAL

parrotfishes

1. any of various chiefly tropical marine fishes, especially of the family Scaridae: so called because of their brilliant coloring and the shape of their jaws.

---

parrotfish British  

/ ˈpærətˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any brightly coloured tropical marine percoid fish of the family Scaridae, having parrot-like jaws

2. any of various brightly coloured marine fish of the family Labridae

3. any of various similar fishes

---

Etymology

Origin of parrotfish

First recorded in 1705–15; parrot + fish

Example Sentences

On TikTok, where she does not have an account, a snippet from one of her Ted Talks with five facts about parrotfish has more than 400,000 views.

From Los Angeles Times

The Cambridge researchers attached 3D plastic models of trumpetfish and parrotfish to a wire pulley system and deployed them inside a colony of damselfish.

From DOGO News

When the waters south of Miami turned Jacuzzi hot this summer, topping out at 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit in Manatee Bay, scientists agonized over the impact on parrotfish, grunts, spiny lobsters and coral reefs.

From Scientific American

The Cambridge researchers attached 3D plastic models of trumpetfish and parrotfish to a wire pulley system and deployed inside a colony of damselfish.

From DOGO News

When presented with the parrotfish model, however, the damselfish swam up to inspect it but otherwise did not react to its presence.

From New York Times