Etymology

cockabully

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Today it means: Any of various small, blunt-nosed freshwater fishes, especially gobies of the genus Gobiomorphus. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Māori kōkopuruao
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The story

  1. Māori · derived fromkōkopuruao“banded kokopu”
  2. English todaycockabully

Probably from Māori kōkopuruao (“banded kokopu”), with alternation of the ending after bully (“goby of the genus Gobiomorphus”). Compare kokopu.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. Any of various small, blunt-nosed freshwater fishes, especially gobies of the genus Gobiomorphus.
  • from 20th c. Any of various marine fishes of the family Tripterygiidae, found in rockpools and coastal waters.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.