pipefish

[ pahyp-fish ]

noun

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

1. any elongated, marine and sometimes freshwater fish species of the family Syngnathidae, having a tubular snout and covered with bony plates.

pipefish

/ ˈpaɪpˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of various teleost fishes of the genera Nerophis, Syngnathus, etc, having a long tubelike snout and an elongated body covered with bony plates: family Syngnathidae Also calledneedlefish

Word History and Origins

Origin of pipefish¹

First recorded in 1760–70; pipe ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

Relatives of sea horses and pipefish, sea dragons have long narrow snouts that they use like a straw to suck up meals of microscopic crustaceans.

From New York Times

This is a special moment, capturing the meeting of the seagrass shrimp and the seagrass pipefish in Spanish waters.

From BBC

And it’s not just mothers — in syngnathid fishes, such as pipefish and seahorses, the males that incubate the eggs can also pass on immune components.

From Nature

My back garden is gin-clear water – pipefish and turtles my nosy neighbours.

From The Guardian

The reported effect is an interesting instance of sexual conflict, which is ubiquitous among animals, said Sarah Flanagan, a pipefish expert at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

From New York Times