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rockfish

rockfish

1 7.5
Lean flesh of fish caught among rocks that people eat
  • noun
  • /ˈrɑkˌfɪʃ/
  • US
translation icon : pez roca
  • The chef recommended the rockfish for its delicate flavor and flaky texture.
  • grilled rockfish
  • whole rockfish

Examples

  • Loved the beer-battered fried rockfish.

    Blog text (14)
  • Rockfish were a major component of the winter diet (Ainley et al., 1982; Bailey and Ainley, 1982).

    Academic text (2000)
  • There are all kinds of fish in here—lingcod, greenling, cabezon, bass, rockfish, flounder, sole, and at least four species of perch.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • For dinner, we served grilled rockfish seasoned with herbs and lemon.

  • At the market, I found fresh rockfish caught that morning, perfect for a healthy meal.

Synonyms

fish
vsrockfish
805 1.0

Meat from a water animal that people cook and eat

is narrower, naming specific coastal market species usually taken from rocky shores
tuna
vsrockfish
213 1.0

A large, fast sea fish often eaten fresh or canned

is different, naming coastal market fish usually taken near shores
trout
vsrockfish
123 1.0

A freshwater fish like a salmon that people often eat

is instead a marine coastal market fish caught among rocky shore areas
seafood
vsrockfish
111 1.0

Animals from the sea that people eat, like fish and shellfish

is narrower, naming only lean market fish caught in nearshore rocky zones
catfish
vsrockfish
60 1.0

A fish with whisker-like feelers often eaten as food

is a coastal market fish typically taken from nearshore rocky habitats rather than these waters
herring
vsrockfish
52 1.4

A small silver fish often eaten smoked, salted, or pickled

is a coastal market fish generally taken near rocky shores rather than open shoals
tuna fish
vsrockfish
24 1.0

A large sea fish that people often eat fresh, grilled or canned

is not an open-sea species but a coastal market fish from rocky areas
whitefish
vsrockfish
10 3.5

A fish with white flesh that people eat

is a marine coastal market term for lean edible fish rather than lake species
monkfish
vsrockfish
  • US
9 6.3

The flesh of a large fish used as food in seafood dishes

is a general market name for many edible coastal species, not only this odd type
freshwater fish
vsrockfish
3 2.0

A water animal that lives in rivers or lakes and people eat

is a marine coastal market term for lean edible fish from nearshore areas
redfish
vsrockfish
  • US
3 6.5

A fish with red or reddish skin often found in the sea and eaten

is more specific to various lean coastal market fish rather than that single meaning
kingfish
vsrockfish
  • US
2 4.2

A large sea fish that people eat and catch for sport

is a coastal market fish typically taken from nearshore rocky habitats for sale
codfish
vsrockfish
1 1.1

A large fish that lives in cold seas and has white meat people eat

is a broader market name for various coastal edible fish, not one species
billfish
vsrockfish
1 7.5

Large fish that eat other fish and have a long pointed jaw like marlin or swordfish

is typically smaller coastal market fish caught near shores rather than open ocean predators
bonefish
vsrockfish
1 8.6

A long, silvery fish that lives in shallow warm coastal water and is popular with people who fish for sport

is a fish mainly sold in markets for eating rather than for sport
bluefin
vsrockfish
1 6.4

Meat from a very large tuna that people eat, often raw as sushi

is a broader market name for many lean coastal fish, not that prized type
tilefish
vsrockfish
1 7.9

A deep sea fish often eaten as food

is shallower and sold as coastal market fish from nearshore areas
panfish
vsrockfish
  • US
1 8.0

A small freshwater fish you can eat, often caught for food like bluegill or crappie

is mainly a commercially sold coastal fish taken from rocky nearshore areas
rock salmon
vsrockfish
  • UK
1 8.1

A small firm white fish like dogfish that is often sold in British fish and chip shops

is a broader label for many commercially sold coastal edible fish
groundfish
vsrockfish
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A fish that lives near the sea bottom, like cod or flounder

is narrower, naming market fish taken specifically from rocky coastal spots
food fish
vsrockfish
1 2.1

A fish that people catch or farm to eat

is narrower, referring to coastal market fish usually taken from rocky areas
bluefin tuna
vsrockfish
1 3.9

Meat of a very large sea fish valued for sushi and sashimi

is a general coastal market label for lean edible fish rather than prized tuna
bluefish
vsrockfish
  • US
1 5.6

Fatty bluish fish meat that people cook and eat

is leaner and milder, sold mainly as everyday coastal market fish
jewfish
vsrockfish
  • Archaic
1 8.7

A large fish from warm seas with a thick head eaten as food

is a coastal market label, usually for smaller rocky-shore edible fish
butterfish
vsrockfish
  • US
1 6.7

A small flat sea fish with soft flesh often eaten

is a label for larger commercially sold coastal fish rather than small local catches
rock bass
vsrockfish
  • US
1 4.8

A freshwater fish in North America that lives in shallow, rocky water and people catch for food or sport

is a marine coastal market fish caught among sea rocks rather than lake shores
saltwater fish
vsrockfish
1 1.9

Meat from fish that live in the sea and people eat

is narrower, referring to lean coastal market fish usually taken from rocky areas
sunfish
vsrockfish
  • US
1 5.3

The meat of small freshwater fish that people cook and eat

is a market name for various lean coastal edible species usually from rocky shores
bocaccio
vsrockfish
  • US
9.9

The meat of the bocaccio fish when cooked and served to eat

is the broader market name for various similar coastal edible fish
red rockfish
vsrockfish
  • US
7.9

Red flesh from a large Pacific fish that people eat

is a broader label for lean market fish from rocky coasts
dolphinfish
vsrockfish
6.3

Lean meat from a sea fish often called mahi-mahi usually cooked and eaten

is similar but refers mainly to coastal market fish from rocky areas
rock sea bass
vsrockfish
  • US
8.5

A small fish that lives near rocky western Atlantic coasts and has a dark body

is a general market term for various lean coastal edible fish
flatfish
vsrockfish
4.0

White, lean meat from thin flat sea fish often served as fillets

is not flat but refers to various coastal fish sold for meat
lake trout
vsrockfish
  • US
3.1

The flesh of a large fish from cold northern lakes that people eat

is a marine coastal market fish usually taken from rocky sea habitats
sea trout
vsrockfish
  • UK
2.7

The meat from a trout that lives in the sea that people eat

is a coastal market fish taken from rocky shore areas, not a migratory trout
salmon trout
vsrockfish
3.2

The meat of a fish that moves from the sea into rivers and is eaten

is a coastal market label for fish taken from rocky nearshore spots rather than migrants
rock sunfish
vsrockfish
  • US
6.7

A freshwater fish in North America with a flat round body often found near rocks

is a coastal market fish taken from rocky seashores, not a freshwater game species
rock gunnel
vsrockfish
  • UK
9.9

A long slim fish with no scales that lives in northern Atlantic waters and people eat

is a broader market term for various edible coastal fish usually from rocky spots
chenfish
vsrockfish
  • US
9.9

A small silvery sea fish from the California coast that people eat

is a general market label for many edible coastal fish from rocky areas

Compounds

A sea fish with a copper-coloured body that lives near the Pacific coast of North America

7.6

A large reddish fish that lives near rocky Pacific coasts

7.9

Red flesh from a large Pacific fish that people eat

A bright red fish caught for food on the Pacific coast of North America

Surface Forms

rockfish singular
rockfishes plural

Morphology

rockfish = rock + fish (semi-transparent) = rock + fish

While the compound 'rock' + 'fish' is clear, the sense meaning the edible flesh is a metonymic extension rather than a distinct morphologically derived form.

Etymology

Rockfish can also mean the meat of fish caught among rocks. The name comes from rock ('large stone') and fish ('water animal'), so it helps you remember that this is fish from rocky coastal areas sold as food.