Abudefduf

noun

Ab·​u·​def·​duf

ˌabüˈdef(ˌ)dəf

: a genus of small ovate short-headed marine teleost fishes commonly found about rocks and other submerged objects and usually included in the percoid family Pomacentridae but sometimes made the type of a separate family (Abudefdufidae)

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, borrowed from Arabic abūdafdūf

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!