sil·ver·fish

(sĭl′vər-fĭsh′)

n. pl. silverfish or sil·ver·fish·es

1. Any of various fishes having silvery scales, such as a tarpon or silverside.

2. Any of various small wingless insects of the order Thysanura, having a silvery body and a three-pronged tail, especially Lepisma saccharina, which feeds on the starchy material in bookbindings, clothing, and food.

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.

silverfish

(ˈsɪlvəˌfɪʃ)

n, pl -fish or -fishes

1. (Animals) a silver variety of the goldfish Carassius auratus

2. (Animals) any of various other silvery fishes, such as the moonfish Monodactylus argenteus

3. (Animals) any of various small primitive wingless insects of the genus Lepisma, esp L. saccharina, that have long antennae and tail appendages and occur in buildings, feeding on food scraps, bookbindings, etc: order Thysanura (bristletails)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sil•ver•fish

(ˈsɪl vərˌfɪʃ)

n., pl. (esp. collectively) -fish, (esp. for kinds or species) -fish•es.

1. any of various silvery fishes, as the tarpon or silversides.

2. a wingless, silvery-gray insect, Lepisma saccharina, that feeds on starch in books, wallpaper, etc.

[1695–1705]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	silverfish - silver-grey wingless insect found in houses feeding on book bindings and starched clothing Lepisma saccharina thysanuran insect, thysanuron - primitive wingless insects: bristletail genus Lepisma, Lepisma - type genus of the Lepismatidae: silverfish
	2.	silverfish - a silvery variety of Carassius auratus Carassius auratus, goldfish - small golden or orange-red freshwater fishes of Eurasia used as pond or aquarium fishes

Translations

Silberfisch Silberfischchen

silverfish

[ˈsɪlvəfɪʃ] N (silverfish (pl)) → lepisma f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

silverfish

[ˈsɪlvəˌfɪʃ] n inv → pesciolino d'argento (insetto)

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

However, the 35-year-old, from near Edinburgh, who was visiting Hull with his pregnant partner Shauner Proctor, 19, and their six-month-old daughter, was forced to move rooms after he allegedly discovered silverfish insects in the bath.

Angry dad checks out after allegedly finding bugs in room and spotting rat near hotel; Danny Fuller was pregnant partner and daughter but they left because of safety concerns

But Mr Fuller is adamant he found silverfish in the bathroom of his executive room at the hotel and, a day later, was left disgusted after allegedly seeing a rat from his hotel room.

Holiday Inn hotel had 'insects in bath and rat nearby' says disgusted dad; Danny Fuller, partner Shauner Proctor and their daughter were forced to move rooms at the Holiday Inn Hull Marina

"The bugs just keep coming back," said Mark, who wakes in the night to his partner's screams as the insects, believed to be silverfish, crawl over their bodies.

Flat 'nightmare' for couple with itchy splinters in their crotch and bugs crawling over their bed; Mark Pelling and Claire Thompson are itchy and deprived of sleep thanks to their 'disgusting' flat

HOMES across Ireland are seeing an alarming rise in infestations of silverfish, it was revealed yesterday.

Bug off silverfish; Rentokil issues warning over 32% rise in callouts to deal with infestations of insects

The final match of the series takes place today at Carrs Silverfish Lake Leazes Park AA will hold their Annual General Meeting in the clubhouse this Tuesday at 19.00 hrs.

Junior girls take the top match spots; COARSE ANGLING

Otherwise, you could find your kitchen playing host to pests like silverfish, spiders, ants or cockroaches.

6 steps for preventing pests from moving in

but silverfish shelve when green waves scatter them

The General

The report revealed a variety of bugs and pests which have been found in schools throughout the country, ranging from rodents to woodlice and silverfish.

RAT FLAP; 700 cases of vermin in schools over five years

Data collected by the Scottish Liberal Democrats showed there were call-outs to handle creatures such as rats, mice, wasps, woodlice and silverfish - with the party warning that learning risked being "disrupted" by such incidents.

Schools in 11,000 pest hell call-outs

Tan Sri Rais Yatim speaks during the launch of the 'History for Nation Building' book at Silverfish Books, Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur May 6, 2018.

DAP turns into slander factory to discredit BN govt, says Najib

The smell of crispy leaves of a new book just off the shelf of Borders, Kinokuniya or Magrudy's, or the mouldy smell of some old gem (one or two silverfish thrown in between) picked off from a bunch at some seedy shop in the bylanes of the crowded city.

Books are a person's best friend