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Glite Dictionary
archerfish

archerfish

1 9.5
A small freshwater fish that shoots water to knock insects into the water
  • noun
  • /ˈɑːrʧərˌfɪʃ/
  • Australian
: pez arquero
  • The archerfish catches insects by accurately shooting jets of water at them from the surface.

Examples

  • Taro, for instance, died in a futile effort to crash his plane into the U.S.S. Archerfish, hitting only water.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I followed in his footsteps, serving one tour in the Navy (1966-70) as a submariner aboard the historical USS Archerfish (AGSS-311) and USS Medregal (SS-480).

    Blog text (11)

  • When the archerfish spots a flying insect, it can knock it into the water with a precise stream of water.

  • The unique hunting method of the archerfish involves spitting water to knock insects off branches into the water.

Synonyms

Toxotes
vsarcherfish
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small tropical fish that shoots water to knock insects into the water

is the broader common name for small fish that knock insects into the water
Toxotes jaculatrix
vsarcherfish
  • Specialized
9.9

A small freshwater fish that knocks insects into the water by squirting water from its mouth

is the general term for similar fish that use water jets to catch prey

Surface Forms

archerfish singular
archerfishes plural

Morphology

archerfish = archer + fish (transparent) = archer + fish

The compound literally denotes a fish that hunts by shooting water like an archer; the relation to its parts is direct and inferable.

Etymology

Archerfish combines archer (a person who 'shoots') and fish; it is called that because this small freshwater fish 'shoots' jets of water to knock insects into the water, like an archer firing 'arrows'.