lungfish

[ luhng-fish ]
/ ˈlʌŋˌfɪʃ /

noun, plural (especially collectively) lung·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) lung·fish·es.

any of various slender, air-breathing fishes of the order (or subclass) Dipnoi, of rivers and lakes in Africa, South America, and Australia, having a lunglike air bladder as well as gills and growing to a length of 3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 meters).

Origin of lungfish

First recorded in 1880–85; lung + fish

Words nearby lungfish

lungan, lunge, lungee, lungeous, lunger, lungfish, lungi, lungki, lungs, lungworm, lungwort

Example sentences from the Web for lungfish

British Dictionary definitions for lungfish

lungfish
/ (ˈlʌŋˌfɪʃ) /

noun plural -fish or -fishes

any freshwater bony fish of the subclass Dipnoi, having an air-breathing lung, fleshy paired fins, and an elongated body. The only living species are those of the genera Lepidosiren of South America, Protopterus of Africa, and Neoceratodus of Australia

Scientific definitions for lungfish

lungfish
[ lŭng′fĭsh′ ]

Any of several tropical freshwater fish of the order or subclass Dipnoi that, in addition to having gills, have lunglike organs for breathing air. Lungfish have a long, narrow body, and certain species can survive periods of drought inside a mucus-lined cocoon in the mud. The lungfish and the coelacanths are the only living lobe-finned fishes.