Dealfishes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Long, slender, silvery deep-sea fish of the ribbonfish family, with a compressed body and a tall dorsal fin
2. Elongated, flattened marine fishes found in deep ocean waters, known for their ribbon-like bodies and crest-like fins
3. Deep-water ribbonfishes that have very long, laterally compressed bodies and are sometimes washed up on shorelines

Etymology: "Dealfishes" is the plural of "dealfish," a name for a deep-sea fish of the family Trachipteridae, which includes the ribbonfishes. The name describes the fish's appearance: its long, flat, silvery body looks much like a plank of sawn timber, and "deal" is the word for exactly that kind of board, a slice of sawn wood. Joined to "fish," it gives a compound that simply names the fish after the plank it resembles. The first half of the compound, "deal," has an older and more varied history than its use here suggests. In the sense of a board of sawn fir or pine, it is the regular term for the wood, and the fish is named by comparison to this familiar piece of lumber rather than to any part of the wood trade's broader uses.