cockabully

C3O1C3K5A1B3U1L1L1Y4

noun

Any of various small, blunt-nosed freshwater fishes, especially gobies of the genus Gobiomorphus.

OriginMāori kōkopuruao →
First used 19th c.Scrabble 23
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncockabully (plural cockabullies)

plural cockabullies

  1. New ZealandAny of various small, blunt-nosed freshwater fishes, especially gobies of the genus Gobiomorphus.First known use 19th c.

    We knew the plants on its banks and in the creek the rocks, cockabullies, eels and the old weighted shredded sacks of drowned kittens and cats.

    1982, Janet Frame, An Angel at my Table, Virago, published 2024, page 30
  2. New ZealandAny of various marine fishes of the family Tripterygiidae, found in rockpools and coastal waters.First known use 20th c.

Origin

  1. Māorikōkopuruao“banded kokopu”
  2. Englishcockabully

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

More words from Māori

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Māori kokopara
  • kokoparasmall New Zealand freshwater fish
Cite this entry
APA

cockabully. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cockabully

MLA

“cockabully.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cockabully. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cockabully,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cockabully.

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