Arowana

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of various large freshwater fish belonging to the family Osteoglossidae (especially from genera Heterotis, Osteoglossum, and Scleropages), found in South America, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Africa. These fish are mainly carnivorous and are characterized by large, bony scales, a toothed tongue, and a wide, slanted mouth.
  2. 2
    Any of various large freshwater fish belonging to the family Osteoglossidae (especially from genera Heterotis, Osteoglossum, and Scleropages), found in South America, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Africa. These fish are mainly carnivorous and are characterized by large, bony scales, a toothed tongue, and a wide, slanted mouth.; Scleropages formosus (Asian bonytongue) US

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin, specific epithet of Osteoglossum arowana (now Osteoglossu bicirrhosum), borrowed from Guyanese Kari'na arawana (“the fish Osteoglossum bicirrhosum”; or a like form in Macushi), borrowed, probably via Nheengatu arawanã, from Old Tupi aruanã.

Related phrases

African arowanabony fish

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.