weakfish

[ week-fish ]

noun

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

1. any food fish of the genus Cynoscion, as C. regalis, inhabiting waters along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States.

weakfish

/ ˈwiːkˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. any of several sciaenid sea trouts, esp Cynoscion regalis, a food and game fish of American Atlantic coastal waters

Word History and Origins

Origin of weakfish¹

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800; from Dutch weekvis (obsolete), equivalent to week “soft, weak ” + vis fish

Example Sentences

For example, she said, the weakfish population has also been hurt by high levels of predation and disease in recent years.

From New York Times

Others depict dramatic action, like an 1829 painting of an osprey clutching a weakfish in its talons as it flies through the air.

From New York Times

Menhaden, called the most important fish in the bay by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, are an important food source for predator fish, including striped bass, bluefish and weakfish, and birds and whales.

From Washington Post

The fishing was better there, anyway: Trump and his buddies fished all day long, hauling in fluke, weakfish, and porgies, while beachgoers admired the boat from afar.

From The New Yorker

“Sea trout, Atlantic weakfish — these are beautiful fish that are depleted and hardly on the market. Why not do that?”

From New York Times