Needlefish
/ˈniːdəlˌfɪʃ/noun
Any of several long, slender marine fishes with elongated jaws and sharp beak-like snouts.
Did you know?The name is a straightforward compound of Old English *nǣdl* “needle” + *fisc* “fish,” but the word taps into a much older Indo-European root for piercing and stabbing that also lives on in words like “needle” and “need.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁nēd-
“to prick, sting, or pierce”
Old English
OE
nǣdl
“needle; a pointed tool for piercing or sewing”
Old English
OE
fisc
“fish”
Middle English
ME
nedelfisshe
“a needle-shaped fish”
Modern English
English
needlefish
“a slender fish with a long, pointed snout”