surf fish

3 definitions found

surf fish - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Surf \Surf\, n. [Formerly spelled suffe, and probably the same
     word as E. sough.]
     The swell of the sea which breaks upon the shore, esp. upon a
     sloping beach.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Surf bird (Zool.), a ploverlike bird of the genus
        Aphriza, allied to the turnstone.
  
     Surf clam (Zool.), a large clam living on the open coast,
        especially Mactra solidissima (syn. Spisula  solidissima
        ). See Mactra.
  
     Surf duck (Zool.), any one of several species of sea ducks
        of the genus Oidemia, especially Oidemia  percpicillata
        ; -- called also surf scoter. See the Note
        under Scoter.
  
     Surf fish (Zool.), any one of numerous species of
        California embiotocoid fishes. See Embiotocoid.
  
     Surf smelt. (Zool.) See Smelt.
  
     Surf whiting. (Zool.) See under Whiting.
        [1913 Webster]

  Embiotocoid \Em`bi*ot"o*coid\, a. [NL. Embiotoca, the name of
     one genus + -oid.] (Zo["o]l.)
     Belonging to, or resembling, the Embiotocid[ae]. -- n. One
     of a family of fishes (Embiotocid[ae]) abundant on the
     coast of California, remarkable for being viviparous; -- also
     called surf fish and viviparous fish. See Illust. in
     Appendix.
     [1913 Webster]

surf fish - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  surf fish
      n 1: a fish of the Pacific coast of North America [syn:
           yellowfin croaker, surffish, surf fish, Umbrina roncador
           ]
      2: small to medium-sized shallow-water fishes of the Pacific
         coast of North America [syn: surfperch, surffish, surf   fish
         ]