Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A globefish; a fish of the order Plectognathi and suborder Gymnodontes, as the tropical Tetraodon lineatus, or striped spine-belly, or a species of one of the genera Triodon and Diodon. So called because it has the power of swallowing air, which is retained in a dilatation of the esophagus, and thus of blowing itself up into a nearly spherical shape like a balloon. The ivory-like tips of the jawbones cleft above and below, as in
Tetraodon , give the fish the appearance of having four teeth, two above and two below. SeeGymnodontidæ .
Wiktionary
- n. A fish of the genus Diodon or Tetraodon, capable of distending its body by taking air or water into its dilatable esophagus.
GNU Webster's 1913
- (Zoöl.) A fish of the genus Diodon (such as Diodon holocanthus) or the genus Tetraodon, having the power of distending its body by taking air or water into its dilatable esophagus. It is similar to but smaller than the porcupinefish. See globefish, and bur fish.
WordNet 3.0
- n. similar to but smaller than porcupinefish
Etymologies
- balloon + fish (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Swills swelled, balloonfish bellowed, bully Billy rebelled, yellow Mell yelled, silly Will kvelled:”
“What it is: One of a family of marine or estuarine fish known as Tetraodontidae whichincludesmany familiar species variously called puffers, puffer fish, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish and toadfish.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘balloonfish’.
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Underwaterritory
When you're underwater, what do you see or experience? Let's dive...
(Here's a cute little related list called Fishful Thinking...)underwater, curglaff, submarine, underwater habitat, diving bell, paravane, bottom trawling, sediment traps, torpedo, mines, shipwreck, sonar and 214 more...
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