Hagfish

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhæɡˌfɪʃ/

Definitions

1. An eel-like marine animal known for its unique gelatinous slime and ability to knot its body for evasion, along with the viscous substance it produces
2. A specific type of jawless fish that secretes a thick, slippery mucus for self-defense and can contort its body to avoid threats, including the substance expelled by it
3. A type of marine animal with an eel-like body that produces a copious amount of slime to deter predators

Etymology: The hagfish gets its name from two plain English words, "hag" and "fish," and the "hag" part is the one worth a closer look. In this sense, a hag was an ugly, malicious old woman, a sense the word had long carried in English, and the creature's wrinkled, eel-like appearance and unsettling habits seem to have prompted the comparison. Compounds like this one, pairing an animal with a descriptive first element, were a common way for English speakers to name unfamiliar creatures. The word is therefore a transparent compound rather than a borrowing or a coinage from a classical language. Its meaning follows directly from its parts: a fish that resembles a witch in its looks or behaviour. The slime the animal releases in defence is the trait that most defines it today, and the name has nothing to do with that particular behaviour, only with its general appearance.