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Lampris guttatus

Lampris guttatus

9.5
A large colorful ocean fish found in warm seas, known as the opah
  • noun
  • /ˈlæmprɪs ˈɡʌtəˌtəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Lampris guttatus
  • The Lampris guttatus, or opah, is remarkable for its bright coloration and large, rounded body.

Examples

  • Scientists are studying the unique physiology of Lampris guttatus to understand how it maintains its body temperature.

  • Fishermen off the coast of Hawaii occasionally catch Lampris guttatus in their nets.

  • The Lampris guttatus is known for its vibrant colors.

  • Have you ever seen a Lampris guttatus in the wild?

  • Fishermen off the coast of Hawaii occasionally catch Lampris guttatus in their nets.

  • Scientists are studying the unique physiology of Lampris guttatus to understand how it maintains its body temperature.

  • The Lampris guttatus, or opah, is remarkable for its bright coloration and large, rounded body.

Synonyms

New World opah
vsLampris guttatus
  • US
8.6

A large round ocean fish with bright colors that lives in the Atlantic

is the broader common name for similar large colorful ocean fish
opah
vsLampris guttatus
9.9

A large round fish from deep water with bright colors

refers to the specific species common in temperate and tropical waters

Surface Forms

Morphology

Lampris + guttatus

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species epithet) functioning as a scientific name rather than a productive English phrase; the species epithet 'guttatus' is not given in the learner-facing dictionary entry, and B1 learners would not reliably infer 'opah' or the fish's properties from these parts. Even if 'guttatus' were glossed as 'spotted', scientific names act as labels and do not yield a predictable, everyday meaning for typical learners, so the expression is not transparently compositional.

Etymology

Lampris guttatus comes from old Greek and Latin words: Lampris means 'bright' or 'shining' and guttatus means 'spotted'. So the name is like a short picture of the fish — a large, bright, spotted sea fish (the opah) — which helps explain the name today.