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Glite Dictionary
🐋 A killer whale 🛸 A large manta ray 🐙 An octopus
devilfish

devilfish

8.8
An octopus with a soft body and eight long arms that lives on the sea floor
  • noun
  • /ˈdɛvəlˌfɪʃ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : pulpo
  • The devilfish glided silently along the ocean floor, blending into its surroundings.

Examples

  • The documentary showed how the devilfish uses its tentacles to capture prey.

  • Fishermen were surprised to catch a large devilfish near the rocky shore.

  • The devilfish glided gracefully through the water.

  • Did you see the devilfish at the aquarium?

  • The diver spotted a devilfish gracefully moving along the ocean floor.

  • The devilfish is known for its unique appearance and intelligent behavior.

  • While exploring the reef, we encountered a gigantic devilfish hiding among the rocks.

Synonyms

octopus
vsdevilfish
18 1.0

A sea animal with a soft body and eight long arms

is used more broadly to name both these cephalopods and some rays
devil ray
vsdevilfish
1 7.4

A small ray like a manta that grows to about four feet and swims in groups

refers mainly to bottom-living cephalopods rather than schooling rays

Surface Forms

devilfish singular
devilfishes plural

Morphology

devilfish = devil + fish (opaque) = devil + fish

Although formed from 'devil' + 'fish', this sense refers to cephalopods (octopuses) which are not fish, so knowledge of the components will not reliably lead a learner to this meaning.

Etymology

Devilfish is simply devil ('strange or frightening') plus fish ('sea animal'). Fishermen called large octopus-like creatures a devilfish because their soft bodies and long tentacles looked eerie on the sea floor, so the word can mean a big, tentacled sea animal like an octopus.