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starfish

starfish

20 2.1
A sea animal with a star-shaped body and five arms
  • noun
  • /ˈstɑrˌfɪʃ/
translation icon : estrella de mar
  • While exploring the tide pools, I spotted a starfish with vibrant colors resting on the rocks.
  • features of starfish
  • types of starfish

But this is when they're like ancient relatives of starfish.

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Examples

  • Then consider that the starfish ages and dies, with a lifespan of about eight years.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Anthony picked it up and noticed dozens of starfish lying placidly beneath the shallow water.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Where did I put my starfish?

  • "the girl picked up another starfish "and tossed it back into the ocean.

  • And thousands and thousands of starfish were washed up on the shore.

  • Next, children listened to the teacher read aloud pages one through three, which revealed where starfish live.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Ali was inspired by the starfish's unique capability to regenerate its damaged limbs.

  • On our beach walk, we found a starfish that had five arms radiating from its central disk.

  • A group of children gathered to observe a starfish as it slowly moved across the sand.

Synonyms

sea star
vsstarfish
2 3.4

A sea animal shaped like a star with five arms

is the same animal but named in a more common nontechnical way

Compounds

starfish flower
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant with thick stems and large star-shaped flowers that smell bad and attract flies

Surface Forms

starfish singular
starfish plural

Morphology

starfish = star + fish (transparent) = star + fish

The meaning is directly derived from 'star' + 'fish' as a star-shaped marine animal, though it is not a true fish biologically.

Etymology

Starfish is simply made of star ('star') and fish ('fish') because this sea animal looks like a star and lives in the ocean. So, the name helps you remember its star-shaped body in the sea, even though it is not a true fish and is often called a 'sea star'.