milkfish

noun

milk·​fish ˈmilk-ˌfish How to pronounce milkfish (audio)
: a large fork-tailed silvery herbivorous food fish (Chanos chanos) of warm parts of the Pacific and Indian oceans that is the sole living representative of its family (Chanidae)

Examples of milkfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With financial assistance from the World Bank, the province will open a milkfish (bangus) breeding and hatchery facility, which will produce more than 100 million bangus fry and more than 48 million larvae every year. Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2023 On a recent visit, daing na bangus — whole fried milkfish, butterflied and divested of bones, with a short tail still attached — arrived bronzed and near monumental, larger than other specimens around town. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 31 May 2018 For another staple, daing na bangus, milkfish is relieved of its bones, splayed and soaked in vinegar overnight for tenderness, then crisped in a pan. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of milkfish was circa 1890

Dictionary Entries Near milkfish

Cite this Entry

“Milkfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milkfish. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on milkfish

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!