muttonfish

M3U1T1T1O1N1F4I1S1H4

noun

Any of several Atlantic and Caribbean fishes which are said to taste of mutton, especially a mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis), an ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus), or an Irish pompano (Diapterus auratus).

Similar
mutton snapperLutjanus analis
First used 18th c.Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounmuttonfish (plural muttonfish or muttonfishes)

plural muttonfishes

  1. USAny of several Atlantic and Caribbean fishes which are said to taste of mutton, especially a mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis), an ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus), or an Irish pompano (Diapterus auratus).First known use 18th c.
  2. AustraliaAny of several edible molluscs of the genus Haliotis; an abalone.First known use 19th c.

    Some mornings when the tide was right out we went onto the reef with screwdrivers to prise off abalone, which we called muttonfish.

    1993, Tim Winton, Land's Edge, Picador, published 2014, page 28

Synonyms & antonyms

nounsimilar to and often marketed as ‘red snapper’

Similar
mutton snapperLutjanus analis
Broader
snapper
Also see
mutton snapper

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From mutton + fish.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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