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needlefish

needlefish

1 7.7
A thin fish with a long pointed nose that swims near the surface
  • noun
  • /ˈniːdlfɪʃ/
: pez aguja
  • Those are needlefish, she thought, and that is Xenia soft coral.

Examples

  • The river water was somber and weedy, full of little shoals of needlefish and their shadows, of curling water snakes and the triangular divisions of flow around pebbles and boulders.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • While snorkeling, I spotted a group of slender needlefish gliding gracefully near the surface.

  • Anglers often use a needlefish lure to attract larger fish, as its shape mimics natural prey.

  • In tropical waters, you can see needlefish darting swiftly after smaller fish in short bursts.

How Slender

lancelet
  • Specialized
1 9.9
needlefish
1 7.7
eel
65 1.0

Surface Forms

needlefish singular
needlefish plural

Morphology

needlefish = needle + fish (transparent) = needle + fish

A straightforward compound where 'needle' describes the slender, pointed shape of the fish; learners can derive the meaning from the components.

Etymology

Needlefish comes from the simple English parts needle and fish. It was named because its long, pointed jaw looks like a 'needle', so a needlefish is a thin fish that often swims near the water's surface.