Guppies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small, lively fish from the poeciliidae family that thrive in freshwater environments and are popular among aquarium enthusiasts for their vibrant colors and ease of care
2. Popular among pet owners, these small freshwater fish display bright colors and are easy to breed, making them ideal for home aquariums and community tanks
3. Tiny, brightly colored fish commonly kept in freshwater tanks that are known for their active behavior and adaptability

Etymology: The fish called the guppy is named after a man who never named it. In 1859, Robert John Lechmere Guppy, a British naturalist working in Trinidad, sent specimens of a small live-bearing fish to the British Museum. The species was later classed as "Poecilia reticulata" and described under the name "Girardinus guppii," which honoured Guppy as the collector who had brought it to scientific attention. The name was thus a tribute by others, not a choice of the fish's discoverer or of its common name. Guppy's name stuck in aquarium circles, and the fish became one of the most widely kept tropical species in the world, so "guppies" now refers to the animals rather than to the man. The plural simply follows the usual English pattern, with the "y" of "guppy" changing to "ies."

Synonyms: fish, aquarium fish, Poecilia reticulata