blackfish

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black·fish

(blăk′fĭsh′)

n. pl. blackfish or black·fish·es

1. Any of various dark-colored fishes, such as:

a. A small edible freshwater fish (Dallia pectoralis) that inhabits streams and ponds of Alaska and Siberia and is noted for its ability to withstand freezing.

b. See tautog.

2. Any of several dark-colored toothed whales, especially the pilot whale.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

blackfish

(ˈblækˌfɪʃ)

n, pl -fish or -fishes

1. (Animals) a minnow-like Alaskan freshwater fish, Dallia pectoralis, related to the pikes and thought to be able to survive prolonged freezing

2. (Animals) a female salmon that has recently spawned. Compare redfish¹

3. (Animals) any of various other dark fishes, esp the luderick, a common edible Australian estuary fish

4. (Animals) another name for pilot whale

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

black•fish

(ˈblækˌfɪʃ)

n., pl. (esp. collectively) -fish, (esp. for kinds or species) -fish•es.

1. any of various dark-colored fishes, as the tautog, Tautoga onitis, or the sea bass, Centropristis striata.

2. a small, freshwater food fish, Dallia pectoralis, found in Alaska and Siberia, noted for its ability to survive frozen in ice.

[1680–90, Amer.]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	blackfish - large dark-colored food fish of the Atlantic coast of North America tautog, Tautoga onitis wrasse - chiefly tropical marine fishes with fleshy lips and powerful teeth; usually brightly colored genus Tautoga, Tautoga - tautogs
	2.	blackfish - female salmon that has recently spawned salmon - any of various large food and game fishes of northern waters; usually migrate from salt to fresh water to spawn
	3.	blackfish - small dark-colored whale of the Atlantic coast of the United States; the largest male acts as pilot or leader for the school black whale, common blackfish, Globicephala melaena, pilot whale dolphin - any of various small toothed whales with a beaklike snout; larger than porpoises genus Globicephala, Globicephala - pilot whales

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