redbelly dace

[ red-bel-ee ]

noun

, Ichthyology.

1. any of the small, brightly colored North American freshwater cyprinids, especially Phoxinus oreas northern redbelly dace and P. erythrogaster southern redbelly dace.

Word History and Origins

Origin of redbelly dace¹

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; red ¹ + belly

Example Sentences

That changed a few years ago when Doug encouraged her to submit a painting of a small fish - a southern redbelly dace - for the Division of Natural Resources’ annual wildlife calendar.

From Washington Times

“He brought home some photos and books on the redbelly dace, and I started working on the painting,” Chambers recalls.

From Washington Times