Trachinotus falcatus

9.9

A large silver fish that people catch for sport in warm western Atlantic waters

noun

Specialized

: permit

I caught a huge Trachinotus falcatus off the coast of Florida.

Examples

The silvery body and forked tail make Trachinotus falcatus easy to recognize on a fishing trip.
Scientists have studied the migration patterns of Trachinotus falcatus in the western Atlantic.
Anglers travel to the Caribbean hoping to catch a Trachinotus falcatus during the peak season.
Many anglers dream of landing a Trachinotus falcatus during their fishing trips.
Anglers travel to the Caribbean hoping to catch a Trachinotus falcatus during the peak season.
Many anglers dream of landing a Trachinotus falcatus during their fishing trips.
The silvery body and forked tail make Trachinotus falcatus easy to recognize on a fishing trip.

Synonyms

permit

vsTrachinotus falcatus

1 9.7

A large sport fish found in the western Atlantic near the Caribbean

is the scientific Latin name for the same species

Surface Forms

Trachinotus falcatus singular

Trachinotus falcatuses plural

Morphology

Trachinotus + falcatus

This is a Latin scientific name (a taxonomic binomial) functioning as a proper name for a specific fish species; such names do not compose into a transparent everyday meaning for B1 learners. The second element 'falcatus' is not a common English word (and is not defined here), and even knowing the genus 'Trachinotus' (pompanos) would not make the full sense 'a large game fish prized by anglers' immediately derivable, so the expression is effectively idiomatic/nominal and unpredictable for learners.

Etymology

Trachinotus falcatus may come from old words: Trachinotus was a name for a kind of 'fish' and falcatus means 'sickle-shaped', because its fins are curved like a sickle. So the name helps you remember this silvery game fish and its curved fins.