Meanings
nounpilot fish (plural pilot fish or pilot fishes)
plural pilot fishes
- A marine fish, Naucrates ductor, that often follows large vessels and sharks.
Origin
So called from its having been supposed to guide sharks to their prey.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian риба-лоцман
- риба-лоцман (riba-locman)marine fish
Catalan pàmpol
- pàmpolmarine fish
French poisson pilote
- poisson pilotemarine fish
Italian pesce pilota
- pesce pilotamarine fish
Latin pompilus
- pompilusmarine fish
Portuguese piloto, peixe-piloto
- pilotomarine fish
- peixe-pilotomarine fish
Romanian pește-pilot
- pește-pilotmarine fish
Russian ры́ба-ло́цман
- ры́ба-ло́цман (rýba-lócman)marine fish
Spanish pez piloto
- pez pilotomarine fish
Yiddish לאָצמאַן
- לאָצמאַן (lotsman)marine fish
Cite this entry
APA
pilot fish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pilot%20fish
MLA
“pilot fish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pilot%20fish. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pilot fish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pilot%20fish.
Source: pilot fish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.