flounder

views updated May 29 2018

floun·der1 / ˈfloundər/ • v. [intr.] struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud: he was floundering about in the shallow offshore waters. ∎ fig. struggle mentally; show or feel great confusion: she floundered, not knowing quite what to say. ∎ fig. be in serious difficulty: many firms are floundering.DERIVATIVES: floun·der·er n.floun·der2 • n. a small flatfish (families Pleuronectidae and Bothidae) that typically occurs in shallow coastal water. ∎  (flounders) a collective term for flatfishes other than soles. See flatfish.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

flounder

views updated May 18 2018

flounder (Platichthys flesus) See PLEURONECTIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

flounder

views updated May 29 2018

flounder1 flat-fish. XIV. — AN. floundre, OF. flondre, prob. of Scand. orig. (cf. OSw. flundra, Da. flynder, ON. flyðra).

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

flounder

views updated May 29 2018

flounder2 †stumble; plunge or tumble about clumsily, XVI. of uncert. (perh. imit.) orig.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

flounder

views updated May 17 2018

flounder Small flatfish, Platichthys spp., also called fluke.

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition DAVID A. BENDER

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