hagfish

noun

hag·​fish ˈhag-ˌfish How to pronounce hagfish (audio)
: any of a family (Myxinidae) of marine cyclostomes that are related to the lampreys and in general resemble eels but have a round mouth surrounded by barbels and that feed upon other fishes and invertebrates by boring into their bodies

Examples of hagfish 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.
These tiny marine invertebrates were less than an inch long and may be distantly related to living hagfish. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Sep. 2024 Whale falls provide nourishment and even habitat for a wide range of creatures—from scavenging hagfish and sleeper sharks to microbes, mussels, clams, worms, nematodes, crabs and members of the jellyfish family. Douglas Main, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2024 Fudge has been studying the hagfish and the properties of its slime for years. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024 Enlarge / Burrowing sequences for a hagfish digging through transparent gelatin. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for hagfish 

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hagfish was in 1799

Dictionary Entries Near hagfish

Cite this Entry

“Hagfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hagfish. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on hagfish

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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