Definition of cuttlefish
: any of various marine cephalopod mollusks (order Sepioidea, especially genus Sepia) having eight short arms and two usually longer tentacles and differing from the related squid in having a calcified internal shell
Read the Latest from M-W
Recent Examples of cuttlefish from the Web
-
In Japan, raw squid (or its cousin, cuttlefish) is a popular choice at sushi bars — beautiful white translucent slices draped over the sweet rice.
-
Or is cuttlefish in a five-spice sauce and a Bombay Sapphire gin more your fancy?
-
When placed in hunting scenarios, the cuttlefish that appeared to imitate hermit crabs captured twice as many fish as those that didn’t.
-
For reasons no one completely understands, Point Lowly has become the spot where the world’s largest cuttlefish—a type of free-swimming mollusk most closely related to octopuses and squids—comes to spawn en masse.
-
Scientists have seen much of this behavior, but in 2011 off the coast of Turkey two researchers who were diving and observing the common cuttlefish witnessed something much more extreme — a physical battle.
-
Most shops close between noon and 4 p.m., so grab hummus and grilled cuttlefish for lunch at Parisa, located in the souk.
-
Long ago, the ancestors of octopuses, and indeed the ancestors of all other cephalopods like cuttlefish and squid, took refuge in the safety of their shells.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cuttlefish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Illustration of cuttlefish
Origin and Etymology of cuttlefish
Middle English cotul + English fish
CUTTLEFISH Defined for Kids
cuttlefish
playDefinition of cuttlefish for Students
: a sea animal with ten arms that is related to the squid and octopus
Learn More about cuttlefish
-
See words that rhyme with cuttlefish Spanish Central: Translation of cuttlefish Nglish: Translation of cuttlefish for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cuttlefish
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up cuttlefish? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!