Dictionary

goldfish en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɡoʊldfɪʃ/
• gōld'fĭsh

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰĺ̥h₃-to-mder. Proto-Germanic *gulþą Proto-West Germanic *golþ Old English gold Middle English gold English gold Proto-Indo-European *péysks Proto-Germanic *fiskaz Proto-West Germanic *fisk Old English fisċ Middle English fisch English fish English goldfish From gold + fish.

Meanings

1. A type of small fish, Carassius auratus, typically orange-colored.
   • For the children's fair we'll have a few games they can play, so that each child "wins" a goldfish as a prize.
   • However, unless you have a nonshedding, nonlicking breed, there's no such thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog. How about a nice goldfish instead? 2017, Howard Bennett, The Fantastic Body: What Makes You Tick & How You Get Sick:
2. (figuratively, informal) A person with an unreliable memory.
3. (alt-of, nonstandard) Nonstandard form of Goldfish (“a small orange saltine-like cracker shaped in the form of a fish”).
   alt of Goldfish
   • I’ve seen people let their kid drink from their drink and then drink from it themselves. That’s pushing the limits. That kid for sure just backwashed lime disease into your drink. Not to mention all the little chunks of animal crackers and goldfishes. 2015, Josh Nealis, chapter 4, in Stuffed Squirrels & Porcelain Angels, Cutthroat Comics & Publishing, →ISBN, page 92:
   • The only solids he will eat are the Gerber Puffs, Cheerios, maybe some goldfish, and oyster crackers. 2004 December 17, Brodysmommy, “11 month old picky eater or something bigger??”, in misc.kids (Usenet), archived from the original on 21 Oct 2025:
   • Tomato soup is not complete without a toasted cheese sandwich and goldfishes. Not the new kind with the smiley faces though. 2000 January 1, Tracy T., “Knock knock...”, in alt.fan.british-accent (Usenet), archived from the original on 21 Oct 2025:

Forms

Deriveds

goldfish plant · goldfishlike · memory of a goldfish · fantail goldfish · goldfishy · Goldfish · goldfishery · goldfish bowl · Goldfish Club

Translations (84)

cmn 金魚 /金鱼 (fish) · ro peștișor auriu (fish) · kw owrbesk (fish) · sv guldfisk (fish) · ar سَمَكَة زِينة (fish) · tr Japon balığı (fish) · za byagim (fish) · is gullfiskur (fish) · el χρυσόψαρο (fish) · cy pysgod aur (fish) · gv eeast airhey (fish) · fa ماهی قرمز (fish) · da guldfisk (fish) · bg зла́тна ри́бка (fish) · sms kåʹllkueʹll (fish) · cy pysgodyn aur (fish) · mn алтан загас (fish) · af goudvis (fish) · tl lali (fish) · yi גאָלדפֿיש (fish) · sk karas zlatý (fish) · be залата́я ры́бка (fish) · ur سنہری مچھلی (fish) · es pez de oro (fish) · mk златна рипка (fish) · fi kultakala (fish) · kw owrbysk (fish) · nl goudvis (fish) · lv Zelta zivtiņa (fish) · sh zlatna ribica (fish) · sk zlatá rybka (fish) · es pez dorado (fish) · ja 金魚 (fish) · th ปลาทอง (fish) · ca carpí (fish) · es pez rojo (fish) · ru золота́я ры́бка (fish) · ga iasc órga (fish) · fy goudfisk (fish) · vi cá ba đuôi (fish) · vo goldafit (fish) · sq peshk i kuq (fish) · ko 금붕어 (fish) · uz oltin baliq (fish) · fi huonomuistinen (person with an unreliable memory) · he דַּג זָהָב (fish) · pl złota rybka (fish) · kk алтын балық (fish) · es pez de colores (fish) · eu urre-arrain (fish) · ml സ്വർണ്ണമത്സം (fish) · es carpa dorada (fish) · sh златна рибица (fish) · sl zlata ribica (fish) · eo orfiŝo (fish) · nn gullfisk (fish) · hi सुनहरी मछली (fish) · haw iʻa ʻulaʻula (fish) · ms ikan mas (fish) · bo གསེར་ཉ (fish) · ms ikan emas (fish) · fi kultakala (person with an unreliable memory) · fr poisson rouge (fish) · fr carassin doré (fish) · it pesce rosso (fish) · pam talang-talang (fish) · vo ziporüt (fish) · vi cá vàng (fish) · nb gullfisk (fish) · et kuldkala (fish) · hu aranyhal (fish) · uk золота́ ри́бка (fish) · de Goldfisch (fish) · pt peixinho dourado (fish) · id ikan mas (fish) · vo golüdafit (original Volapük, Volapük rigik) (fish) · az Yapon balığı (fish) · ro caras-auriu (fish) · mi morihana (fish) · cs zlatá rybka (fish) · pt doirada (fish) · az şələquyruq qızıl balığı (fish) · sk karas striebristý (fish) · pl złota rybka (person with an unreliable memory)