Meanings
nounangelfish (plural angelfish or angelfishes)
plural angelfishes · alternative angel fish · alternative angel-fish
- Any member of the genus Pterophyllum of freshwater, tropical cichlids.
- Any marine fish of the family Pomacanthidae, common on shallow tropical reefs.
- South AfricaAtlantic pomfret (Brama brama).
- Angelshark, of the family Squatinidae.
- Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber).
- cave angelfish, a karst-dwelling member of the family Balitoridae, found only in Thailand.
Synonyms & antonyms
noundeep-bodied disk-shaped food fish of warmer western Atlantic coastal waters
Similar
spadefishChaetodipterus faber
Broader
nounsharks with broad flat bodies and winglike pectoral fins but that swim the way sharks do
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From angel + fish; so called for its wing-like pectoral fins.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German Skalar
- Skalarfreshwater fish
Greek αγγελόψαρο
- αγγελόψαρο (angelópsaro)freshwater fish
Italian pesce angelo
- pesce angelomarine fish
Polish skalar, ustniczek
- skalarfreshwater fish
- ustniczekmarine fish
Portuguese acará-bandeira, paru
- acará-bandeirafreshwater fish
- parumarine fish
- frademarine fish
- peixe-frademarine fish
Russian скаля́рия, ры́ба-а́нгел
- скаля́рия (skaljárija)freshwater fish
- ры́ба-а́нгел (rýba-ángel)marine fish
Cite this entry
APA
angelfish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/angelfish
MLA
“angelfish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/angelfish. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “angelfish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/angelfish.
Source: angelfish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.