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Definition of naso tang
naso tang
Plural:naso tangs
naso tang Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
9
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A marine surgeonfish, primarily of the species Naso lituratus or Naso elegans, native to the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific ocean region and characterized by distinctive bright facial markings and sharp, scalpel-like spines at the base of the tail.
Example
"The marine biologist observed a large naso tang grazing on brown macroalgae along the outer edge of the coral reef."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for naso tangWord Origin & Etymology
The word combines 'Naso', the taxonomic genus name derived from Latin 'nasus' (nose), and 'tang', from Middle English 'tange' (meaning a projecting point or sting), which refers to the scalpel-like spines found on the tail base of surgeonfish.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Naso tang. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 15, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/naso tang