bowfin

Meanings

nounbowfin (plural bowfins)

Any of the two extant elongated fish of the genus Amia, native to North America, previously thought to be the same species.
1. especially, a ruddy bowfin (Amia calva).
2. an eyespot bowfin (Amia ocellicauda).

Synonyms & antonyms

Amia calva

nounprimitive long-bodied carnivorous freshwater fish with a very long dorsal fin; found in sluggish waters of North America

Similar

grindle dogfishAmia calva

Broader

ganoidganoid fish

Also see

dogfish grindle

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From bow + fin.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan àmia

àmiaAmia calva

Chinese Cantonese 弓鰭魚 /弓鳍鱼

弓鰭魚 /弓鳍鱼Amia calva

Chinese Mandarin 弓鳍鱼

弓鳍鱼 (gōngqíyú)Amia calva

Czech kaproun obecný

kaproun obecnýAmia calva

Finnish amia

amiaAmia calva

French amie

amieAmia calva

German Kahlhecht, Schlammfisch

KahlhechtAmia calva
SchlammfischAmia calva

Icelandic eðjufiskur, boguggi

eðjufiskurAmia calva
boguggiAmia calva
leirgeddaAmia calva

Italian amia

amiaAmia calva

Korean 아미아고기

아미아고기 (amiagogi)Amia calva

Polish amia, miękławka

amiaAmia calva
miękławkaAmia calva

Portuguese alcaraz

alcarazAmia calva

Russian и́льная ры́ба, а́мия

и́льная ры́ба (ílʹnaja rýba)Amia calva
а́мия (ámija)Amia calva

Turkish kel balık

kel balıkAmia calva

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Finbow

Cite this entry

APA

bowfin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowfin

MLA

“bowfin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowfin. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bowfin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bowfin.

Source: bowfin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.