Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of numerous small colorful tropical freshwater fishes chiefly of the family Characidae, such as the neon tetra, often kept in home aquariums.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of several species of small South American freshwater fish of the family Characidae, popular in home aquaria.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Short for New Latin Tetragōnopterīnī, group name : Late Latin tetragōnum, tetragon; see tetragon + Greek pteron, wing.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Translingual Tetragonopterus, an obsolete genus that included these fish.

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Examples

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  • Greek Fourfold.

    July 11, 2008