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Definition of porkfish

porkfish

/ˈpɔːrkˌfɪʃ/
pork · fish
Plural:porkfish
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porkfish Lexical Profile

• noun

1

North American A colorful, reef-dwelling marine fish (Anisotremus virginicus) belonging to the grunt family, native to the western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico, characterized by striking yellow and silvery stripes and two vertical black bars on its head.

Example

"While scuba diving off the coast of the Florida Keys, the marine biologists observed a large school of vibrant porkfish sheltering near the coral reef."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for porkfish

• Nearby Words

pork
pork belly
pork chop
porkfish
porpoise
porridge
port hoplo

Word Origin & Etymology

From 'pork' + 'fish', so named because the fish produces a characteristic, pig-like grunting noise by rubbing its pharyngeal teeth together when caught or distressed.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Porkfish. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 19, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/porkfish
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