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Definition of kissing gourami
kissing gourami
Plural:kissing gouramis
kissing gourami Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
8
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A large, tropical freshwater fish (Helostoma temminkii) native to Southeast Asia, commonly kept in aquariums and known for a peculiar behavior where two fish press their thick, protrusible lips together in a competitive territorial display that closely resembles kissing.
Example
"The aquarium featured a large tank where several pink kissing gouramis were swimming near the surface."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the fish's characteristic behavior of pressing its lips against others, combined with 'gourami', which comes from Javanese 'gurami' (a type of freshwater fish).
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Kissing gourami. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/kissing gourami