Standard Lemma guide

triggerfish

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɹɪ.ɡəˌfɪʃ/
  • General-American: /ˈtɹɪ.ɡəɹˌfɪʃ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪɡə(ɹ)fɪʃ

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of several brightly coloured fish, of the family Balistidae, that inhabit tropical reefs and have an erectile spine on the dorsal fin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

any of numerous compressed deep-bodied tropical fishes with sandpapery skin and erectile spines in the first dorsal fin

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plectognath, plectognath fish

Narrower terms: queen triggerfish, Bessy cerca, oldwench, oldwife, Balistes vetula

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English trigger Proto-Indo-European *péysks Proto-Germanic *fiskaz Proto-West Germanic *fisk Old English fisċ Middle English fisch English fish English triggerfish From trigger + fish. First attested in the 1840s.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: ballesta — any of several fish
  • Catalan: porcell — any of several fish
  • Cebuano: pakol — any of several fish
  • Dhivehi: ރޮނޑު އާއިލާ (ronḍu āilā) — any of several fish
  • Finnish: säppikala — any of several fish
  • French: baliste — any of several fish
  • Italian: pesce balestra — any of several fish
  • Korean: 쥐치복 (jwichibok) — any of several fish
  • Malay: jebung — any of several fish
  • Malay: ayam-ayam — any of several fish
  • Mokilese: pwupw — any of several fish
  • Polish: rogatnica — any of several fish
  • Russian: спиноро́г (spinoróg) — any of several fish
  • Serbo-Croatian: риба окидач — any of several fish