zebra, noun

Origin:
EnglishShow more Transferred sense of general English zebra the quadruped Equus zebra; so called for its similar black stripes.
In full zebra fish: the seabream Diplodus cervinus hottentotus of the Sparidae, a distinctively-coloured fish with a silver-gold body and vertical black stripes; bontrok sense a; dassie sense 2 c; hangberger sense 1; karanteen sense 1 a; streepdassie; wildepaard sense (b), see wilde sense b; wildeperd, see wilde sense b.
Note:
The name ‘zebra’ is used for this species in Smith and Heemstra’s Smiths' Sea Fishes (1986).
1905 H.E.B. Brooking in E. London Dispatch 29 July 7A few fish are being taken from the Buffalo..silvers and grunters, and occasionally a small skate or zebra.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 571Zebra fish, Sargus cervinus. The name has reference to several well-defined stripes running across the body of this fish.
1951 L.G. Green Grow Lovely 91Similarities to animals were responsible for the zebra, dassie and parrot fish.
1971 Grocott’s Mail 30 July 3Gordon..caught a zebra of 1,36kg (3lb). Zebras are usually caught when the water temperature is low, but Doug said the temperature was average and the water a good fishing colour.
1974 Daily Dispatch 29 May 27Mr Walter Pettit caught two cob, a jan bruin, a black steenbras, a zebra and a moonfish totalling 10,6 kg.
1980 E. Prov. Herald 31 July 15When I used to go gully fishing..I found a piece of crayfish lashed to the hook with a short piece of shirring elastic the best bait for fish such as hottentot, galjoen, zebra and the other fish found in our gullies.
In full zebra fish:the seabream Diplodus cervinus hottentotus of the Sparidae, a distinctively-coloured fish with a silver-gold body and vertical black stripes; bontrok sense a; dassie sense 2 c; hangberger sense 1; karanteen sense 1 a; streepdassie; wildepaard sense (b), see wilde sense b; wildeperd, see wilde sense b.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

19051980

Browse Related Words

By Category

Fish

By Origin

English
ZCC, nounn.zeekoe, nounn.
Copyright © 2023 Dictionary Unit for South African English.