# starfish

Pronunciation: US say "STAR-fish" /ˈstɑː(ɹ)fɪʃ/; UK say "STAH-fish" /ˈstɑː(ɹ)fɪʃ/

## Noun

1. Any of various marine echinoderms, not actually fish, that usually have five arms and often feed on shellfish or corals by pushing their stomach outward.
   - Simple: A sea animal with five arms, shaped like a star.
   - _The starfish slowly pried open the mussel and pushed its stomach inside the shell._
   - _Divers counted dozens of starfish scattered across the reef._
5. A vulgar slang word for the anus, used in crude or jokey speech rather than neutral talk. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A rude slang word for a person's anus.
   - _The long horse ride left his starfish aching for days._
   - _She winced as the cold lake water hit her starfish._
6. A woman (or, less often, a gay man) who takes part in sexual intercourse reluctantly, lying on the back with the limbs spread out. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A person who joins in sex unwillingly, lying back with arms and legs spread out.
   - _She worried that her boyfriend thought she was a starfish in bed._
   - _The novel's narrator dismissively branded his ex a starfish._

## Verb

2. To take on a splayed-out shape, with arms and legs spread wide like a starfish.
   - Simple: To spread your arms and legs out wide, like a starfish.
   - _She starfished on the grass to soak up the afternoon sun._
   - _Toddlers often starfish in their cribs, arms and legs flung wide._
3. To arrange something into a splayed-out shape, with the parts spread wide like a starfish.
   - Simple: To spread something out wide into a star shape.
   - _The dancer starfished her limbs at the climax of the routine._
   - _Coaches tell divers to starfish their bodies briefly before tucking._
4. To float on the surface of water with the arms and legs splayed out wide, like a starfish.
   - Simple: To float on water with your arms and legs spread out wide.
   - _She starfished in the lake, eyes closed against the bright sun._
   - _Beginners learn to starfish before they try to swim._

## Noun

7. Any sea invertebrate with many arms or tentacles, whether a cnidarian, an echinoderm, or a cephalopod. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Any sea animal with many arms or tentacles.
   - _The old ledger listed every starfish the crew dredged up, jellyfish and squid alike._
   - _A starfish with eight sucker-lined arms had wrapped itself around the anchor chain overnight._

## Origin

Formed from 'star' plus 'fish'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/starfish (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).