pinfish Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun similar to sea bream; small spiny-finned fish found in bays along the southeastern coast of the United States
    sailor's-choice; Lagodon rhomboides; squirrelfish.

WordNet

Pin"fish` noun
Etymology
So called from their sharp dorsal spines.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) (a) The sailor's choice (Diplodus, ∨ Lagodon, rhomboides). (b) The salt-water bream (Diplodus Holbrooki). ✍ Both are excellent food fishes, common on the coast of the United States south of Cape Hatteras. The name is also applied to other allied species.

Webster 1913