frostfish

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frostfish

Where it comes from

From frost + fish. In the case of the tomcod, so called because it is abundant on the New England coast in autumn at about when frost comes.

noun frostfishes · frostfish · frost-fish · frost fish

Microgadus proximus
Similar: Pacific tomcod
Microgadus tomcod
Similar: Atlantic tomcod
Any member of the genus Benthodesmus cutlassfish
US, dialectal, obsolete A smelt.
New Zealand A scabbardfish. Another species of the renowned “frost fish,” but unlike the ordinary frost fish, it is of much greater length in proportion to depth. It well deserves its proper cognomen of the scabbard fish, its silver skin adding to the resemblance.

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MLA

"frostfish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/frostfish. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

frostfish. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/frostfish

Chicago

"frostfish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/frostfish.

BibTeX

@misc{frostfish_2026,
  title = {frostfish},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/frostfish},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}