Stomiatidae

plural noun

Sto·​mi·​at·​i·​dae

ˌstōmēˈatəˌdē

: a family of small slender usually scaleless deep-sea fishes having a short head that bears an enormous mouth full of long powerful teeth and a highly distensible stomach and with living and extinct related fishes forming a suborder of the order Isospondyli compare dragonfish

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, irregular from Stomias, type genus (irregular from Greek stoma mouth) + -idae

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!