What does cichlid mean?
A cichlid is any member of Cichlidae, a large family of mostly freshwater fishes native to tropical and subtropical regions, with their greatest diversity in the great lakes of East Africa and the rivers of South America. Cichlids are prized by aquarists for their striking colours, complex behaviour, and remarkable parental care — many species carry their eggs and young in their mouths, while others guard nests devotedly. The word is used both as a general term for the family and, more specifically, for individual species such as the angelfish, discus, and tilapia. In everyday use it appears most often in aquarium keeping, evolutionary biology, and nature writing, where cichlids serve as a classic example of rapid speciation. The plural is the regular "cichlids," and the term carries no strong connotation beyond its scientific and hobbyist associations.
nounAny of a large family (Cichlidae) of chiefly freshwater fishes found in tropical and subtropical waters, especially in Africa and South America, known for their bright colours and their care of the young.
- Any freshwater fish belonging to the family Cichlidae, typically brightly coloured and noted for elaborate parental behaviour such as mouthbrooding.
"The aquarium was dominated by a vividly coloured African cichlid that guarded its territory fiercely."
"Lake Malawi is home to hundreds of species of cichlid found nowhere else on Earth."
"He spent hours rearranging rocks in the tank to keep his territorial cichlids from fighting."
Regular plural; standard in both scientific and hobbyist writing.
"The rift lakes of Africa contain hundreds of endemic cichlids."
Some cichlids incubate their eggs inside their own mouths for weeks, going without food rather than risk losing a single fry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cichlid
The word "cichlid" derives from the modern scientific Latin family name Cichlidae, itself formed from Greek "kichla" or "kichlis", a term referring to a kind of fish. It entered English usage through zoological nomenclature in the nineteenth century as the family was formally described, and it remains one of those technical names that has crossed over into popular hobbyist language.
How cichlid is actually used
Used mainly in ichthyology, aquaristics, and natural-history writing; among hobbyists it is everyday vocabulary. Plural is regular (cichlids).
Easily confused with cichlid
"Chiclid" is simply a common misspelling of cichlid, not a separate word.