starfish

Noun

1. Any of various echinoderms (not in fact fish) with usually five arms, many of which eat bivalves or corals by everting their stomach.
2. (obsolete) Any many-armed or tentacled sea invertebrate, whether cnidarian, echinoderm, or cephalopod.
3. (slang) A woman (or, less commonly, a gay man) who reluctantly takes part in sexual intercourse, and lies on the back while spreading the limbs.
4. (slang, usually, vulgar) The anus.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To assume a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.
2. (intransitive) To assume a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.
3. (transitive) To form into a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈstɑː(ɹ)fɪʃ/

Etymology

From star + fish.

Synonyms

sea star

asteroid

crucifix

five-finger

rood

shell

🐚

star

⭐

Ester

aster

seastar

cross

Translations

étoile de mer

estrella de mar

Seestern

estrela-do-mar

αστερίας

stella di mare

astérie

stella marina

rozgwiazda

denizyıldızı

zeester

estrella de mar

asteria

zeesterren

estèla de mar