A fish characterized by a gilded or golden-colored tail, or historically, a type of fish found in certain waters.
Compound of 'gilt' (gold-colored) and 'tail,' descriptively naming a fish by its distinctive golden tail coloring.
Old fish names were wonderfully literal—'gilttail,' 'gilthead,' 'silverside'—medieval fishermen basically pointed at distinguishing features and made up names on the spot, creating a taxonomy that was poetic before it was scientific.
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