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Glite Dictionary
pinfish

pinfish

8.9
A small fish with sharp fins that lives in warm coastal bays and is used as bait
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪnˌfɪʃ/
  • US
translation icon : pescadilla
  • We often catch pinfish while fishing in the shallow bays near the coast.

Examples

  • The young dolphins play "cat and mouse" games with small fish such as pinfish, catching them with their teeth, throwing them, and allowing them to swim off a short distance before recapturing them and continuing the game.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Then, while you're waiting on the 'hoos to show up, pitch out a small live pinfish (or fresh cut pinfish) on a jig head using 14- to 20-pound fluorocarbon leader.

    Blog text (10)

  • Then, while you're waiting on the 'hoos to show up, pitch out a small live pinfish (or fresh cut pinfish) on a jig head using 14- to 20-pound fluorocarbon leader.

    Blog text (10)

  • The pinfish is recognized for its spiny fins and is commonly found in southeastern U.S. waters.

  • When snorkeling, I saw many pinfish swimming among the coral reefs.

Synonyms

Lagodon rhomboides
vspinfish
  • Specialized
9.9

A small spiny fish called pinfish that lives in bays in the southeastern United States

is the common everyday name used for that same small species
Lagodon
vspinfish
  • Specialized
9.9

A small sea fish like a pinfish that lives near the shore

is narrower, referring to just one species rather than a whole genus

Surface Forms

pinfish singular
pinfishes plural

Morphology

pinfish = pin + fish (transparent) = pin + fish

A straightforward noun compound 'pin' + 'fish' where the idea 'fish with pin-like spines' is inferable from the components.

Etymology

Pinfish comes from the simple word pin, meaning 'small, sharp point', because this little fish has sharp, pin-like spines on its fins; that's why pinfish refers to a small spiny fish often used as bait.