C19: from Latin scālāris of a ladder, scalar, referring to the runglike pattern on its body
scalare in American English
(skəˈlɛri; skəˈlɑri)
US
noun
any of a genus (Pterophyllum) of freshwater cichlid fishes of N South America, having a flattened body and transparent pectoral fins; angelfish: popular as an aquarium fish
Word origin
ModL < L, neut. of scalaris, ladderlike (see scalar): from the lateral markings