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spear·fish¹

(spîrfĭsh′)

n. pl. spearfish or spear·fish·es

Any of several large marine game fishes of the genus Tetrapturus that have the upper jaw elongated into a spearlike projection and are somewhat smaller than the related marlins.

spear·fish²

(spîrfĭsh′)

intr.v. spear·fished, spear·fish·ing, spear·fish·es

To fish with a spear, spearlike implement, or spear gun.

spearfish′er n.

spearfish′ing n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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