noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Any of a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. Butterflyfish are fairly small, mostly from 12 to 22 cm (c.7-9 in) in length.
2. 2
   tropical fish with huge fanlike pectoral fins for underwater gliding; unrelated to searobins wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

flying gurnardflying gurnardflying robin

Etymology

From butterfly + fish, from their bright colours.

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