starfish
part of speech
noun (a starfish, starfish or starfishes)
meaning for a pupil
1) A starfish is a sea animal shaped like a star, usually with five arms, that lives on the sea floor and on rocks. tree →
2) Scientists also call it a sea star, because it is not a fish. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons, starfish are echinoderms, related to sea urchins; they have no bones and no brain, they move on tiny tube feet, and many can grow back a lost arm. On beaches and in rock pools in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, children find starfish. In stories, starfish stand for the sea and the beach.
examples
- We found a starfish in the rock pool. tree →
- A starfish usually has five arms. tree →
- Starfish are not fish, so scientists call them sea stars. tree →
- A starfish can grow a new arm if it loses one. tree →
- Put the starfish gently back in the water. tree →
- Starfish eat mussels by opening their shells. tree →
- The starfish was orange and bumpy. tree →
- She lay on the sand like a starfish. tree →
note
Plural: «starfish» or «starfishes»; both are used. Trap: a starfish is not a fish; it has no backbone, gills or fins. Do not take living starfish home, because they die out of water.
In the corpora
- Skydivers spread out like a starfish to catch more air, and dive head first like an arrow to go faster.
- Starfish and jellyfish are not fish, because they have no backbone.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «starfish» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.