barracuda

English

a typical barracuda
(Sphyraena sphyraena)

Etymology

First attested in the 1670s, from Latin American Spanish barracuda, perhaps from a Cariban word.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌbæɹəˈkuːdə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːdə

Noun

barracuda (plural barracuda or barracudas)

1. Any large marine fish of the genus Sphyraena that have elongated bodies, a projecting lower jaw, displaying prominent fang-shaped teeth, and are aggressive predators.
2. (figuratively) One who uses harsh or predatory means to compete.

Derived terms

• barracudalike
• yellowtail barracuda

 

Translations

marine fish

• Bulgarian: бараку́да f (barakúda)
• Catalan: barracuda (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 梭子魚 / 梭子鱼 (zh) (suōziyú), 梭魚 / 梭鱼 (zh) (suōyú)

• Czech: barakuda f
• Dutch: zeesnoek (nl) m, barracuda (nl) f
• Finnish: barrakuda (fi)
• German: Barrakuda (de) m, Pfeilhecht m
• Greek: σφύραινα f (sfýraina), μπαρακούντα n (barakoúnta)

  Ancient: σφύραινα f (sphúraina), κέστρα f (késtra)

• Icelandic: barrakúda f
• Japanese: バラクーダ (barakūda), 梭子魚 (かます, kamasu), カマス (kamasu)
• Korean: 꼬치고기 (kkochigogi)
• Malay: ikan alu-alu
• Navajo: yílnoodii
• Polish: barakuda f
• Portuguese: barracuda (pt) f
• Romanian: baracudă f
• Russian: барраку́да (ru) f (barrakúda), морска́я щу́ка f (morskája ščúka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: баракуда f

• Spanish: barracuda (es) f
• Vietnamese: cá nhồng
• Vurës: non

predatory competitor — see shark

See also

• barracouta

Further reading

• barracuda on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Sphyraena on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• “barracuda”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barracuda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [bə.rəˈku.ðə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ba.raˈku.ða]

Noun

barracuda f (plural barracudes)

1. barracuda

Further reading

• “barracuda” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English barracuda. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɑ.raːˈky.daː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bar‧ra‧cu‧da

Noun

barracuda f (plural barracuda's)

1. barracuda, fish of the genus Sphyraena

   Synonym: zeesnoek

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barracuda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.ʁa.ky.da/, /ba.ʁa.ku.da/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

barracuda m (plural barracudas)

1. barracuda

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barracuda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bar.raˈku.da/
• Rhymes: -uda
• Hyphenation: bar‧ra‧cù‧da

Noun

barracuda m (invariable)

1. barracuda

Further reading

• barracuda in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Portuguese

Etymology

From Spanish barracuda.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -udɐ

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ba.ʁaˈku.dɐ/ [ba.haˈku.dɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ba.ʁaˈku.dɐ/ [ba.haˈku.dɐ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ba.ʁaˈku.dɐ/ [ba.χaˈku.dɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ba.ʁaˈku.da/ [ba.haˈku.da]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɐ.ʁɐˈku.dɐ/ [bɐ.ʁɐˈku.ðɐ]

Noun

barracuda f (plural barracudas)

1. barracuda (large marine fish of the genus Sphyraena)

Further reading

• “barracuda”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024

Spanish

Etymology

Unknown, perhaps from a Cariban term. According to Watkins, from Valencian/Catalan barracó (“snaggletooth”); see barraca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baraˈkuda/ [ba.raˈku.ð̞a]
• Rhymes: -uda
• Syllabification: ba‧rra‧cu‧da

Noun

barracuda f (plural barracudas)

1. (zoology) barracuda

   Synonym: picuda

Descendants

• → Cebuano: barakuda
• → English: barracuda
• → Italian: barracuda
• → Portuguese: barracuda

Further reading

• “barracuda”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
• “barracuda”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.