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anglerfish

anglerfish

1 8.6
A deep-sea fish with a big mouth and a glowing lure on its head that it uses to attract prey
  • noun
  • /ˈæŋɡlərˌfɪʃ/
translation icon : pez borrón
  • The deep-sea anglerfish entices small creatures into its mouth with a wormlike appendage that glows.

Examples

  • Yuri's mouth stretched wider and wider, becoming a dark, gaping concavity that reduced his other features to tiny irrelevancies, like the glowing lures above the enormous mouth of an anglerfish.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The anglerfish uses its glowing lure to attract unsuspecting prey in the dark depths of the ocean.

  • Anglerfish tastes a lot better.

    Blog text (25)
  • The male anglerfish hunts for the female, following her through the most dangerous parts of the deep.

  • Son of an anglerfish!

  • Son of an anglerfish!

  • The deep-sea anglerfish.

  • With its large mouth and bioluminescent lure, the anglerfish preys on fish that swim too close.

Synonyms

frogfish
vsanglerfish
1 8.8

A sea fish with a mouth like a frog and a small lure on its nose to attract fish

is the one with a wormlike growth on the head rather than snout lure
angler fish
vsanglerfish
7.4

A deep sea fish with a large mouth and a glowing lure on its head to attract prey

is the single-word modern spelling
allmouth
vsanglerfish
9.9

A deep-sea fish with a large mouth and a long wormlike filament used to attract prey

is the usual modern or standard name
angler
vsanglerfish
9.9

A fish with a light on its head that lures other fish

is the specific named type rather than the whole group
monkfish
vsanglerfish
6.3

A large sea fish with a flat, wide head and a big mouth

is the broader category defined by the lure not just head shape
goosefish
vsanglerfish
  • US
9.9

A large sea fish with a big mouth and flat wide head that uses a wormlike lure to catch fish

is the general type found worldwide not that single regional species

Surface Forms

anglerfish singular
anglerfishes plural

Morphology

anglerfish = angler + fish (transparent) = angler + fish

The compound clearly denotes a type of fish associated with angling-like behaviour (uses a lure), so knowing 'angler' and 'fish' lets a learner infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word anglerfish comes from angler ('a person who fishes with a hook') and fish. This deep-sea fish has a glowing, wormlike 'lure' on its head that works like a tiny fishing rod to attract and catch other animals, so it is a 'fishing fish'.