silverfish

[ sil-ver-fish ]
/ ˈsɪl vərˌfɪʃ /

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

a white or silvery goldfish, Carassius auratus.
any of various other silvery fishes, as the tarpon, silversides, or shiner.
a wingless, silvery-gray thysanuran insect, Lepisma saccharina, that feeds on starch, damaging books, wallpaper, etc.

Origin of silverfish

First recorded in 1695–1705; silver + fish

Words nearby silverfish

silverback, silverberg, silverberry, silverchair, silvered, silverfish, silverhorn, silvering, silverius, silverize, silverly

Example sentences from the Web for silverfish

  • A silverfish then raised its head beside that of the goldfish, and a moment later a bronzefish lifted its head beside the others.

    Glinda of Oz |L. Frank Baum

  • The one who had been a silverfish had snow-white hair of the finest texture and deep brown eyes.

    Glinda of Oz |L. Frank Baum

  • "All we ask is that you obey our instructions," returned the silverfish.

    Glinda of Oz |L. Frank Baum

  • Rapid fire legs sidestep the etchings of industrious ants while silverfish are the boatmen trouncing human oars.

    The Land of Look Behind |Paul Cameron Brown

British Dictionary definitions for silverfish

silverfish
/ (ˈsɪlvəˌfɪʃ) /

noun plural -fish or -fishes

a silver variety of the goldfish Carassius auratus
any of various other silvery fishes, such as the moonfish Monodactylus argenteus
any of various small primitive wingless insects of the genus Lepisma, esp L. saccharina, that have long antennae and tail appendages and occur in buildings, feeding on food scraps, bookbindings, etc: order Thysanura (bristletails)