/pawr"kyeuh puyn'fish'/ , n. , pl. ( esp. collectively ) porcupinefish , ( esp. referring to two or more kinds or species ) porcupinefishes .
any of several fishes of the family Diodontidae, esp. Diodon hystrix, of tropical seas, capable of inflating the body with water or air until it resembles a globe, with erection of the long spines covering the skin.
[ 1675-85; PORCUPINE + FISH ]