flatfish

Etymology

It is formed from English flat + fish,^[2][3][4] and so called from its shape.^[3] The OED compares Dutch platvis, recorded from the late 16th century, and German Plattfisch (“plaice”), from the 17th century or earlier.^[2] Flat is from Old Norse flatr,^[3] and fish is from Old English fisc.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A fish of the family that includes the sole, turbot and plaice: 1710, in the London Gazette.^[2][3][5] Dictionary.com gives 1700–10.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The dictionaries place the fish differently: the OED ties the name to the family Pleuronectidae,^[2] Merriam-Webster Unabridged to an order Heterosomata,^[5] and the Oxford Dictionary of English and the American Heritage Dictionary to the order Pleuronectiformes.^[6][7] The Macquarie dictionary records flat as a colloquial New Zealand short form.^[8]

Timeline

• 1710 – a fish of the sole, turbot and plaice family.^[2][3][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A chiefly marine fish with a flattened body that swims on one side, with both eyes on the upper side, such as the flounder, sole, turbot or halibut.^[7][6][5][8]

Related words

• flat
• fish

Usage notes

The plural is either flatfish or flatfishes.^[7][6][8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
8. ^ a b c The Macquarie Dictionary (2013), 6th ed., Sydney: Macquarie Dictionary Publishers