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Definition of tripod fish
tripod fish
Plural:tripod fish
tripod fish Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
11
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A deep-sea benthic fish of the family Ipnopidae, widely known for possessing highly elongated pelvic and caudal fin rays that it uses to stand motionless on the ocean floor to hunt passing zooplankton.
Example
"During the deep-ocean submersible dive, the marine biologists were thrilled to observe a tripod fish standing perfectly still on the abyssal plain."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Named for its unique physical adaptation of resting on three elongated fin rays (the two pelvic fins and the lower lobe of the tail fin), resembling a camera or telescope tripod.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Tripod fish. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 15, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/tripod fish