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Glite Dictionary
🍽️ A seafood 🐟 A sea fish
monkfish

monkfish

6.3
A large sea fish with a flat, wide head and a big mouth
  • noun
  • /ˈmʌŋkˌfɪʃ/
translation icon : pez ángel
  • monkfish and haddock
  • monkfish and halibut
  • monkfish and cod

Examples

  • You couldn't catch a single monkfish... if you had to.

    Johnny Be Good (1988)

  • Like say we have prawns, lobster, oysters, mussels, monkfish, fruit, Christmas pudding, lemon sorbet, panettone.

  • The chef recommended using monkfish for the seafood stew because of its firm texture.

  • At the seafood market, I bought fresh monkfish to grill for dinner.

  • In many recipes, monkfish is praised for its mild flavor that pairs well with various sauces.

Synonyms

anglerfish
vsmonkfish
1 8.6

A deep-sea fish with a big mouth and a glowing lure on its head that it uses to attract prey

is the general label used for these lure-bearing marine fish
goosefish
vsmonkfish
  • 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 name for this broad flat-headed marine fish
angler fish
vsmonkfish
7.4

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

is a broader common term for that flat-headed, large-mouthed fish
allmouth
vsmonkfish
9.9

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

is the broader term covering this large-mouthed, lure-using fish
Lophius americanus
vsmonkfish
  • Specialized
9.9

A large sea fish from the northwest Atlantic with a long wormlike lure to attract prey

names the general type rather than this single species
angler
vsmonkfish
9.9

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

is the common name for this broad flat-headed, lure-bearing marine fish

Surface Forms

monkfish singular
monkfish plural

Morphology

monkfish = monk + fish (semi-transparent) = monk + fish

The components 'monk' and 'fish' are visibly present, but the species name is lexical and the connection to 'monk' is not a productive descriptive rule.

Etymology

Monkfish likely comes from monk because the fish's broad head and folded skin reminded people of a monk's 'cowl' or 'hood', and that image became the name. That's why this big-headed anglerfish is called a monkfish today.