topminnow
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top·min·now
(tŏp′mĭn′ō)n.
1. Any of various small fishes of the family Fundulidae of North America, Bermuda, and Cuba, found in fresh, brackish, and coastal marine waters.
2. Any of several similar fishes of the family Poeciliidae.
[So called because the fish swim near the surface of the water.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
topminnow
(ˈtɒpˌmɪnəʊ)n, pl -now or -nows
(Animals) any of various small American freshwater cyprinodont fishes that are either viviparous (genera Heterandria, Gambusia, etc) or egg-laying (genus Fundulus)
[from top1 + minnow; so called because they are small and swim near the surface of the water]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
top•min•now
(ˈtɒpˌmɪn oʊ)n., pl. (esp. collectively) -now, (esp. for kinds or species) -nows.
any of various small carplike fishes that swim near the surface of fresh or brackish waters in warm climates, as certain killifishes and livebearers: eaters of mosquito larvae.
[1880–85]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | topminnow - small usually brightly-colored viviparous surface-feeding fishes of fresh or brackish warm waters; often used in mosquito control cypriniform fish - a soft-finned fish of the order Cypriniformes family Poeciliidae, Poeciliidae - topminnows Gambusia affinis, mosquitofish - silvery topminnow with rows of black spots of tropical North America and West Indies; important in mosquito control platy, Platypoecilus maculatus - small stocky Mexican fish; popular aquarium fish |
2. | topminnow - freshwater fish of Central America having a long swordlike tail; popular aquarium fish cyprinodont - any member of the family Cyprinodontidae genus Xyphophorus, Xyphophorus - swordtails |
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