butterfly fish

noun

small usually brilliantly colored tropical marine fishes having narrow deep bodies with large broad fins; found worldwide

• Hypernyms: ↑percoid fish, ↑percoid, ↑percoidean

• Hyponyms: ↑chaetodon, ↑angelfish, ↑rock beauty, ↑Holocanthus tricolor

• Member Holonyms: ↑Chaetodontidae, ↑family Chaetodontidae

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noun

1. : any of various fishes having variegated colors, broad expanded fins, or both: as

a. : ocellated blenny

b. : flying gurnard

c. : a flying fish (Exocoetus volitans) of the Atlantic

d. : any of numerous small brilliantly colored carnivorous spiny-finned fishes of tropical seas that constitute the family Chaetodontidae and have narrow deep bodies and fins partly covered with scales

e. : a small brown fish (Pantodon buchholzi) of the streams of western Africa that has elongate lacy pectoral fins suggestive of wings and is often kept in the tropical aquarium

f. : butterfly cod

2. : chiton 2

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butterfly fish noun

1. A blenny with an eye-spot on the dorsal fin

2. Any fish of the family Chaetodontidae

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Main Entry: ↑butter

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butterfly fish,

any one of several fishes noted for their bright colors or for their broad fins somewhat resembling the wings of the butterfly, especially: a) any one of a family of small tropical marine fishes. b) a blenny. c) = flying gurnard. (Cf. ↑flying gurnard)