an·gel·fish (?n?j?l-f?sh?)n. pl. angelfish or an·gel·fish·es 1. Any of various brightly colored fishes of the family Pomacanthidae of warm seas, having a laterally compressed body and often long extensions on the dorsal and anal fins.2. a. A cichlid (Pterophyllum scalare) native to rivers of tropical South America and having a laterally compressed, usually striped body with long dorsal and anal fins. It is popular in home aquariums. Also called scalare.b. Any of several other fishes of the genus Pterophyllum.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.angelfish (?e?nd??l?f??) n, pl -fish or -fishes1. (Animals) any of various small tropical marine percoid fishes of the genus Pomacanthus and related genera, which have a deep flattened brightly coloured body and brushlike teeth: family Chaetodontidae. See also butterflyfish2. (Animals) Also called: scalare a South American cichlid, Pterophyllum scalare, of the Amazon region, having a compressed body and large dorsal and anal fins: a popular aquarium fish3. (Animals) another name for angel sharkCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014an?gel?fish (?e?n d??l?f??) n., pl. (esp. collectively) -fish, (esp. for kinds or species) -fish?es. a South American freshwater fish, genus Pterophyllum, often kept in aquariums. Compare scalare. [1660?70] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.