opahn.
/ˈəʊpə/, U.S. /ˈoʊpə/ Either of two large fishes of deep ocean waters, Lampris guttatus and (in full southern opah) L. immaculata (constituting the family Lampridae), which have a laterally compressed oval body that is silver blue above with white spots, and long red fins. Also called moonfish, and (formerly) king-fish, sun-fish.
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the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > [noun] > order Lampridiformes > member of family Lamprididae (opah)
moonfish1646
kingfish1653
opah1752
sea-pert1880
sunfish1880
1752 Philos. Trans. 1749–50 (Royal Soc.) 46 519 The black Prince, and his Cousin, from Anamaboe on the Coast of Guinea, and Mr. Creighton, formerly Governor of Capo Corso Castle, upon seeing this Fish immediately knew it, and said it was common on that Coast... The Natives call it Opah, and the English there call it the King-fish.
1798 T. Hinderwell Hist. Scarborough ii. ii. 229 The Opah or King-fish is of singular beauty.
1885 Standard Nat. Hist. III. 207 The popular name of opah, and king of the herrings.
1899 Dundee Advertiser 28 Sept. 7 A magnificent specimen of the rare British fish the opah has been captured in the North Sea.
1920 Sci. Monthly Nov. 470 One of the strangest of all fishes that swim the seas is the great moonfish or Opah, called in California ‘Mariposa’ (Lampris luna Gmelin).
1962 Limnol. & Oceanogr. 7 Suppl. p. xliii/1 Nine of the 11 stations occupied were fished and these caught a total of 15 sharks, one snake mackerel, and one opah.
2000 C. Tudge Variety of Life ii. xv. 387 The Lampridiomorpha has one living order: the opahs, tube-eyes, ribbonfishes, and oarfishes.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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