dolphinfish

dolphinfish — noun

1. a brightly coloured saltwater fish whose long, flat-sided shape and split, V-sha

1.nounC1
Definition

a brightly coloured saltwater fish whose long, flat-sided shape and split, V-shaped tail-fin are common in warm-sea waters; valued by anglers and cooks, and usually sold under its Hawaiian name, mahi-mahi

Example

Amani photographed a dolphinfish flashing gold and blue beside the boat.

Eli grilled the dolphinfish his neighbour had caught off the Florida coast.

collocation: caught off the [coast]

Common collocations
  • school of dolphinfish
  • catch a dolphinfish
  • grilled dolphinfish
  • dolphinfish fillet
Synonyms
  • mahi-mahi

    Hawaiian-derived trade name, used on most restaurant menus and seafood labels

  • dorado

    Spanish-derived name common in Latin America and among sport fishers in the Americas

Grammar Patterns

dolphinfish / dolphinfishes (plural)

Usage Note

Despite the name, this fish is not related to the dolphin (the mammal). To avoid confusion in menus and tourism, restaurants and supermarkets usually call it 'mahi-mahi'. The plural is often 'dolphinfish' (unchanged); 'dolphinfishes' is used mainly when speaking of more than one species.

Common Mistakes

We saw dolphinfish jumping like trained dolphins at the aquarium.
We saw dolphins jumping like trained dolphins at the aquarium.
a dolphinfish is a fish, not the mammal called a dolphin.

Word family

  • mahi-mahi
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Dolphinfish, mahi-mahi, and dorado all name the same species (Coryphaena hippurus), but each label has its own use. 'Dolphinfish' is the older English name, common in scientific writing and field guides, but it confuses general readers because it sounds like the mammal. 'Mahi-mahi', a Hawaiian word meaning 'strong-strong', is now the standard name on menus and at seafood counters in the United States and East Asia. 'Dorado' is the usual term in Spanish-speaking countries and among sport fishers in the Caribbean and Latin America. Tuna, by contrast, names a different fish family altogether — a meatier, oilier fish with dark-red flesh. A typical example: 'The chef listed mahi-mahi tacos on the menu,' not 'dolphinfish tacos' — restaurants almost always pick the friendlier name.

mahi-mahidoradotuna ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • dolphinfish fillet
  • dolphinfish season
  • dolphinfish population

Phrases

  • a school of dolphinfish
  • grilled dolphinfish
  • fresh dolphinfish

Prepositions

  • of dolphinfish

Etymology

Greek (delphis)LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Dolphinfish is a compound of 'dolphin' and 'fish', recorded in English from the late 1500s. Early sailors named the fish 'dolphin' because of the curving leap it makes through the water, similar to the marine mammal. Once it became clear that the fish and the mammal were unrelated, 'fish' was added to distinguish them. The Hawaiian alternative 'mahi-mahi' began appearing in American English menus in the late 20th century to spare diners the worry of eating a dolphin.