What does dogfish mean?
Dogfish is a noun referring to any of several small sharks found in temperate seas worldwide, most commonly the spiny dogfish of the North Atlantic and Europe's lesser-spotted dogfish. The name reflects the animals' habit of hunting in packs, somewhat like dogs, and their tendency to pursue prey relentlessly rather than any resemblance to canines. Dogfish are commercially significant: they have long been caught for food, oil, and dissection specimens, though many populations have been overfished. In Britain, the flesh is often sold under more appetising names such as huss or rock salmon, so diners may eat dogfish without realising it. The word is standard in both British and American English, with an unchanged plural form ('two dogfish'), and it carries no strong connotations — it is a neutral, descriptive term used mainly in marine biology, fishing, and seafood contexts.
A small shark, especially the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) or a related species.
"Biologists tagged dozens of dogfish to track their migration along the coast."
Plural usually unchanged: 'a school of dogfish'; 'dogfishes' is a less common variant.
(British, as food) The flesh of a dogfish, especially when sold as huss or rock salmon.
"The fishmonger recommended the rock salmon — actually dogfish — for grilling."
As with most fish names, the zero plural is standard when referring to the animals collectively or by number; 'dogfishes' is grammatically valid but rarer.
"We spotted several dogfish while snorkelling over the sandbank."
The fish in your British fish and chips might secretly be a shark — 'rock salmon' is often just dogfish under a tastier name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dogfish
The word dogfish is a straightforward English compound of 'dog' and 'fish', first recorded in the 15th century. It was applied to these small sharks because they were observed hunting in packs, like dogs, and because they were regarded as greedy or voracious hunters. The element 'dog' traces back through Old English 'docga' to Proto-Germanic roots, while 'fish' derives from Old English 'fisc'. Related formations include other compound animal names using 'dog' as a metaphor for aggressive behaviour.
How dogfish is actually used
The plural is typically 'dogfish' (unchanged) but 'dogfishes' is also acceptable. In American English the term is primarily zoological; in British English it appears frequently on menus under alternative market names, partly because 'dogfish' has limited consumer appeal.
Easily confused with dogfish
A catfish is a scaleless freshwater (or some marine) fish with whisker-like barbels, whereas a dogfish is a small shark.