blowfish

See also: Blowfish

English

An inflated blowfish.

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der.

Proto-Germanic *blēaną

Proto-West Germanic *blāan

Old English blāwan

Middle English blowen

English blow

Proto-Indo-European *péysks

Proto-Germanic *fiskaz

Proto-West Germanic *fisk

Old English fisċ

Middle English fisch

English fish

English blowfish

From blow + fish.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbloʊˌfɪʃ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbləʊˌfɪʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

blowfish (plural blowfish or blowfishes)

1. Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened.
   • 1945, Harold Wallace Ross, William Shawn, Tina Brown, The New Yorker - Volume 21, Issues 21-37, page 20:

     Where the waves wish-wash, and the foghorn blows, And the blowfish nibble at your toes - oes - oes, The blowfish nibble at your toes.

2. A delicacy popular in Japan, consisting of the fish served raw as sushi or perhaps fried. It may, if improperly prepared, contain considerably deadly levels of neurotoxins.
   • 1981 November 29, Steve Lohr, “ONE MAN'S FUGU IS ANOTHER'S POISON”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 8 March 2021:

     Fugu, the blowfish or globefish, offers taste, health and adventure in every bite.

Synonyms

• (fish): balloonfish, globefish, puffer, pufferfish, swellfish
• (food): fugu

Translations

any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe

• Arabic: أَسْمَاك بَالُون m (ʔasmāk bālūn)
• Bulgarian: риба-таралеж f (riba-taralež)
• Cebuano: butiti
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 河豚 (zh) (hétún)

• Danish: kuglefisk
• Dhivehi: ކޮލި އާއިލާ (koli āilā)
• Dutch: kogelvis (nl) m
• Finnish: pallokala (fi), siilikala
• French: poisson ballon m, poisson globe m
• Georgian: ბურთით თევზი (burtit tevzi)
• German: Kugelfisch (de) m
• Hungarian: gömbhal (hu)
• Icelandic: ígulfiskur m
• Indonesian: buntal (id)
• Irish: iasc balún
• Italian: pesce palla m
• Japanese: フグ (ja) (fugu), 河豚 (ja) (ふぐ, fugu), 鰒 (ja) (ふぐ, fugu)
• Kapampangan: butiti
• Korean: 복어 (bogeo)
• Lü: ᦔᦱᦗᦸᧂᦟᦳᧄ (ṗaapoanglum)
• Malay: buntal (ms), ikan buntal
• Manchu: ᠸᠠᡴᡧᠠᡨᡠ (wakšatu)
• Māori: kōpūtōtara
• Navajo: niicháadii
• Nheengatu: mamayakú
• Old Tupi: baîaku
• Palauan: telebudel
• Polish: ryba rozdymkowata f
• Portuguese: baiacu m (Brazil), peixe-balão m, fugu m
• Russian: иглобрю́хая ры́ба f (iglobrjúxaja rýba), ры́ба-соба́ка (ru) f (rýba-sobáka)
• Spanish: pez globo m, orbe (es) m
• Swedish: blåsfisk (sv) c
• Tagalog: butete
• Thai: ปักเป้า (th) (bpàk-gà-bpâo)
• Turkish: balon balığı
• Ulwa (Nicaragua): itnus
• Vietnamese: cá bóng, cá nóc

a delicacy popular in Japan served raw as sushi that may, if improperly prepared, contain deadly levels of neurotoxins

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 河豚 (zh) (hétún)

• Finnish: fugu (fi), pallokala (fi), siilikala
• Japanese: フグ (ja) (fugu), 河豚 (ja) (ふぐ, fugu)
• Korean: 복어 (bogeo)
• Portuguese: fugu m
• Russian: фу́гу (ru) n (fúgu)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} pez globo m

Anagrams

• fish bowl, fishbowl