Meanings
plural crestfishes
- Any of the fish in the lampriform family Lophotidae.
Family Lophotidae — Crestfishes
1956, Bulletin of the Florida State Museum: Biological sciences2 more examples
Nothing is known about crestfish ages, spawning habits, or migrations, but a larval specimen less than an inch long was cast ashore at La jolla in December, 1905.
1968, John E. Fitch, Deep-water Teleostean Fishes of California, page 87This mode of swimming is usually used for slow swimming among fishes, e.g. scabbard and crestfish (Lindsey, 1979).
2014, Maki K. Habib, Handbook of Research on Advancements in Robotics and MechatronicsSynonyms: unicorn fish, unicornfish
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of the fish in the lampriform family Lophotidae.
Origin
From crest + fish, because of the crest (part of the dorsal fin) that emerges from the snout and head.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
crestfish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crestfish
“crestfish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crestfish. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crestfish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crestfish.
Source: crestfish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.