leatherjack

9.9

A tropical fish with very small scales and tough leather-like skin

noun
/ˈlɛðərˌdʒæk/

: pez cuero

The fisherman proudly displayed a large leatherjack caught off the coast of Florida.

Examples

Many anglers are intrigued by the unusual scales of the leatherjack.
The leatherjack swam gracefully in the aquarium.
In tropical waters, the leatherjack is known for its tough, leather-like skin.
Have you ever seen a leatherjack in the wild?
In tropical waters, the leatherjack is known for its tough, leather-like skin.
Many anglers are particularly fascinated by the unique features of the leatherjack.
During our dive, we spotted a vibrant leatherjack swimming among the coral reefs.

Synonyms

leatherjacket

vsleatherjack

1 9.8

A tropical fish with tough skin and bright colors

is specific to New World species noted for tiny embedded scales

genus Oligoplites

vsleatherjack

Specialized

9.9

A group of jack fish that live in warm coastal waters of the Americas

is a broader group of New World tropical species rather than a single genus

Surface Forms

leatherjack singular

leatherjacks plural

Morphology

leatherjack = leather + jack (semi-transparent) = leather + jack

Formed by the compound 'leather' + 'jack'; the components are straightforward but the specific fish-name use of 'jack' is specialized vocabulary.

Etymology

Leatherjack comes from two plain English words: leather meaning 'tough skin' and jack meaning a common sea fish. So a leatherjack is literally a 'jack' fish with skin like 'leather', which explains its small scales and leather-like skin.