Gairfish

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A slender marine fish with a long, beak-like snout filled with sharp teeth, related to the garfish family
2. A long, thin saltwater fish whose jaws extend into a narrow, needle-like beak lined with small teeth
3. An elongated sea fish of the needlefish kind, known for its slim body and pointed, toothed jaws

Etymology: The fish is named for its spear. Its long, narrow jaws bristle with needle teeth, and "gair" is a northern and Scots form of "gar," from Old English "gār," meaning spear. The same root gives us the verb "to gore" only distantly, so the connection is best left at the spear itself. "Gairfish" is a regional spelling of "garfish," the name for the slender marine fish Belone belone, a long, green-boned predator of coastal European waters. Its silvery body and pointed snout made the spear image the obvious choice for fishermen who saw it skimming the surface. Because "gar" was also used for the freshwater gar of North America, the name was later applied to unrelated fish as well, which is why the same name covers more than one kind of fish.