striped killifish
- noun
- /ˈstraɪpt ˈkɪlɪfɪʃ/
- US
:
pez killifish rayado
- The striped killifish can often be seen darting among the grasses in tidal marshes.
Examples
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Researchers studied a population of striped killifish along the Gulf shoreline.
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Juvenile striped killifish are an important food source for coastal birds.
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The striped killifish is common in coastal waters.
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Have you ever seen a striped killifish in the wild?
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Juvenile striped killifish are an important food source for coastal birds.
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Researchers studied a population of striped killifish along the Gulf shoreline.
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The striped killifish can often be seen darting among the grasses in tidal marshes.
Synonyms
A small fish with dark bars that lives in shallow coastal waters and marshes
A small striped fish that lives in shallow bays and marshes on the United States Atlantic and Gulf coasts
A fish with black bars found in shallow bays and marshes along the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'striped' describes a pattern and 'killifish' names a small fish, so a learner who knows both words will infer it is a killifish with stripes. Although it refers to a specific species, the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and follows a common, cross-linguistic adjectival noun pattern, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Striped killifish may come from a simple picture: striped describes the dark bars on the fish, and killifish comes from an old Dutch word 'kil' meaning a small creek, so it literally meant a 'creek fish'. That's why striped killifish today names a small, black‑barred fish often found in bays and tidal marshes.
