noun pl. fish, fishes
- any of three classes (jawless, cartilaginous, and bony fishes) of coldblooded vertebrate animals living in water and having fins, permanent gills for breathing, and, usually, scales
- loosely any animal living in water only, as a dolphin, crab, or oyster: often used in combination: shellfish, jellyfish
- the flesh of a fish used as food
- Informal a person thought of as like a fish in being easily lured by bait, lacking intelligence or emotion, etc.
Origin:
ME < OE fisc, akin to Ger fisch, Du visch < IE base *pisk- > L piscis