pipefish

American  

[pahyp-fish] / ˈpaɪpˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

pipefish,

plural

pipefishes

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

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pipefish British  

/ ˈpaɪpˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. Also called: needlefish.  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

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Etymology

Origin of pipefish

First recorded in 1760–70; pipe ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

Many animals, like the sargassum pipefish, the sargassum slug, and the sargassum frogfish, have bodies that resemble in pattern, color, and shape the brown tendrils of seaweed.

From Slate • Jul. 16, 2023

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 • Jul. 7, 2022

"It’s a pipefish," says Kes Scott-Somme, a research assistant on the Darwin Tree of Life project.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2022

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

From The Guardian • Nov. 4, 2018

Studying videos of sea horses and pipefish, the team discovered that although the up-and-down motion of the head was similar in both, the sea horse could also extend their heads forward.

From Scientific American • Feb. 1, 2011