triggerfish
See also: trigger-fish
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Etymology tree
From trigger + fish. First attested in the 1840s.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈtɹɪ.ɡəˌfɪʃ/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈtɹɪ.ɡəɹˌfɪʃ/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪɡə(ɹ)fɪʃ
- Hyphenation: trig‧ger‧fish
Noun
triggerfish (plural triggerfish or triggerfishes)
- Any of several brightly coloured fish, of the family Balistidae, that inhabit tropical reefs and have an erectile spine on the dorsal fin.
Usage notes
- The collective plural of fish (and derived terms) is typically invariable fish, except in archaic texts where fishes is sometimes used. When referring to two or more kinds of fish, the plural is fishes.
Derived terms
- bigspotted triggerfish
- blackbar triggerfish
- bluespotted triggerfish
- clown triggerfish
- flat-tailed triggerfish
- gray triggerfish
- lagoon triggerfish
- reef triggerfish
- spotted triggerfish
- starry triggerfish
- yellowmargin triggerfish
Translations
any of several fish
See also
Further reading
- “triggerfish”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
- “triggerfish”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present.
- “triggerfish”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- “triggerfish”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “trigger-fish, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
- “triggerfish”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.