barracuda

English

a typical barracuda
(Sphyraena sphyraena)

Etymology

First attested in the 1670s, from Latin American Spanish barracuda, perhaps from a Cariban word.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌbæɹəˈkuːdə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːdə

Noun

barracuda (plural barracuda or barracudas)

1. Any large marine fish of the genus Sphyraena that have elongated bodies, a projecting lower jaw, displaying prominent fang-shaped teeth, and are aggressive predators.
2. (figuratively) One who uses harsh or predatory means to compete.

Derived terms

• barracudalike
• yellowtail barracuda

Translations

marine fish

• Bulgarian: бараку́да f (barakúda)
• Catalan: barracuda (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 梭子魚 / 梭子鱼 (zh) (suōziyú), 梭魚 / 梭鱼 (zh) (suōyú)

• Czech: barakuda f
• Dutch: zeesnoek (nl) m, barracuda (nl) f
• Finnish: barrakuda (fi)
• French: barracuda (fr) m
• German: Barrakuda (de) m, Pfeilhecht m
• Greek: σφύραινα f (sfýraina), μπαρακούντα n (barakoúnta)

  Ancient Greek: σφύραινα f (sphúraina), κέστρα f (késtra)

• Icelandic: barrakúda f
• Indonesian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: バラクーダ (barakūda), 梭子魚 (ja) (かます, kamasu), カマス (ja) (kamasu)
• Korean: 꼬치고기 (kkochigogi)
• Malay: ikan alu-alu
• Malayalam: ശീലാവ് (śīlāvŭ), നെടുവ (neṭuva)
• Navajo: yílnoodii
• Polish: barakuda f
• Portuguese: barracuda (pt) f
• Romanian: baracudă f
• Russian: барраку́да (ru) f (barrakúda), морска́я щу́ка f (morskája ščúka)
• Samoan: sapatū
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: баракуда f

• Spanish: barracuda (es) f
• Vietnamese: cá nhồng
• Vurës: non

predatory competitor — see shark

See also

• barracouta

Further reading

• barracuda on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Sphyraena on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• “barracuda”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barracuda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [bə.rəˈku.ðə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ba.raˈku.ða]

Noun

barracuda f (plural barracudes)

1. barracuda

Further reading

• “barracuda”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English barracuda. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɑ.raːˈky.daː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bar‧ra‧cu‧da

Noun

barracuda f (plural barracuda's, no diminutive)

1. barracuda, fish of the genus Sphyraena

   Synonym: zeesnoek

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barracuda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.ʁa.ky.da/, /ba.ʁa.ku.da/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

barracuda m (plural barracudas)

1. barracuda

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barracuda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bar.raˈku.da/
• Rhymes: -uda
• Hyphenation: bar‧ra‧cù‧da

Noun

barracuda m (invariable)

1. barracuda

Further reading

• barracuda in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Portuguese

Etymology

From Spanish barracuda.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -udɐ

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ba.ʁaˈku.dɐ/ [ba.haˈku.dɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ba.ʁaˈku.dɐ/ [ba.haˈku.dɐ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ba.ʁaˈku.dɐ/ [ba.χaˈku.dɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ba.ʁaˈku.da/ [ba.haˈku.da]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɐ.ʁɐˈku.dɐ/ [bɐ.ʁɐˈku.ðɐ]

Noun

barracuda f (plural barracudas)

1. barracuda (large marine fish of the genus Sphyraena)

Further reading

• “barracuda”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “barracuda”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Unknown, perhaps from a Cariban term. According to Watkins, from Valencian/Catalan barracó (“snaggletooth”); see barraca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baraˈkuda/ [ba.raˈku.ð̞a]
• Rhymes: -uda
• Syllabification: ba‧rra‧cu‧da

Noun

barracuda f (plural barracudas)

1. (zoology) barracuda

   Synonym: picuda

Descendants

• → Cebuano: barakuda
• → English: barracuda
• → Italian: barracuda
• → Portuguese: barracuda

Further reading

• “barracuda”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “barracuda”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.