Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
cowfish

cowfish

1 9.2
A tropical fish with hornlike spines above its eyes
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊfɪʃ/
: pez vaca
  • Marine biologists recently discovered a new species of cowfish in the Pacific Ocean.

Examples

  • The brightly colored cowfish swam gracefully among the coral reefs.

  • The cowfish is known for its unique appearance.

  • A cowfish can be recognized by the distinctive horns above its eyes.

  • Have you ever seen a cowfish in an aquarium?

  • The cowfish is known for its unique appearance, featuring hornlike spines above its eyes.

  • During our dive, we spotted a vibrant cowfish swimming near the coral reef.

  • The aquarium showcased a rare cowfish that fascinated visitors with its unusual shape.

Synonyms

trunkfish
vscowfish
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small tropical fish with a box-shaped body covered in hard plates

is the narrower form that also bears hornlike spines above the eyes
Lactophrys quadricornis
vscowfish
  • Specialized
9.9

A box-shaped fish with four hornlike spines above its eyes that lives on reefs in the western Atlantic

is a general kind with hornlike eye spines rather than one specific species

Surface Forms

cowfish singular
cowfishes plural

Morphology

cowfish = cow + fish (transparent) = cow + fish

The compound is a straightforward noun combining two common nouns to name a type of fish, so learners can infer it denotes a fish associated with or resembling a 'cow'.

Etymology

The word cowfish is simply cow + fish because this tropical fish has horn-like spines above its eyes that look like a cow's horns, so the name means a 'fish with cow-like horns'.