bowfin

noun

bow·​fin ˈbō-ˌfin How to pronounce bowfin (audio)
: a predaceous dull-green iridescent North American freshwater fish (Amia calva) that is the only surviving member of an order (Amiiformes) dating back to the Jurassic

Examples of bowfin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The first step is to identify the snakehead, which can be easily mistaken for the bowfin, another type of native fish found in Missouri waters. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 7 June 2024 With the record official, Noble and Fields returned the bowfin to their livewell and drove back to the Ohio River. Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 21 Mar. 2024 Wisconsin angler Tanner Peterson has the rare distinction of being the first person in the state to harvest a golden bowfin. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 13 Mar. 2024 Like bowfin, snakeheads have hard mouths and jaws, but the bigger issues are their teeth and bite force. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 24 Aug. 2023 During the Late Jurassic of what is now southeastern Utah, a bowfin fish attempts to sneak up on a frog floating at the surface of a pond, along with leaves of ginkgophytes, while another bowfin regurgitates part of a recent meal of frogs and a salamander. Jordan Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Sep. 2022 The lake hosts major fishing tournaments and claims the state record for the biggest smallmouth buffalo and bowfin. Outside Online, 7 Mar. 2022 The likely source of the vomit was an ancient bowfin fish, which may have regurgitated its most recent meal to distract a predator in pursuit 150 million years ago — when this area of southeastern Utah was a swampy marshland. Jordan Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Sep. 2022 Traditional caviar service goes full bayou here, where spicy bowfin caviar is accompanied with crème fraîche, chives and a bag of Zapps potato chips. Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bowfin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bowfin was in 1845

Dictionary Entries Near bowfin

Cite this Entry

“Bowfin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bowfin. Accessed 14 Jun. 2024.

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