Definition of "butterfish" [but•ter•fish]

• A marine food fish (Poronotus triacanthus) of the North American Atlantic coast, having a flattened body. (noun)
• Any of various similar or related fishes, such as the moonfish and gunnel. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "However, our old fish ID problem rears its head here - several species bear the name butterfish around the world."
• ""Here otters mainly eat crabs and inshore fish species, such as butterfish and lumpfish, which aren't in short supply as far as I'm aware."
• "Co-owner James Bygrave, a Brit by way of Hong Kong (his parents were diplomats for Her Majesty's government), guided my party through several exotic courses, beginning with the Hawaiian butterfish ($10) -- a melt-in-your-mouth row of sliced portions of something akin to monkfish."