WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
squir•rel•fish
(skwûr′əl fish′, skwur′- or, esp. Brit., skwir′-),USA pronunciation n., pl. (esp. collectively) -fish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) -fish•es.
- Fishany of several brightly colored, nocturnal fishes of the family Holocentridae, inhabiting shallow waters of tropical reefs, esp. the reddish Holocentrus ascensionis of the West Indies, armed with sharp spines and scales.
- perh. after the sound it makes out of water, likened to a squirrel's bark 1795–1805
'squirrelfish' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):