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A starfish is a flat sea animal shaped like a star, usually with five arms coming out from the middle, that lives on rocks and the sea floor. Despite the name it is not a fish at all — it has no bones and no gills — so scientists and aquarium signs increasingly call it a sea star. Both names are understood; starfish is still what most people say.
A starfishstarfish is a flat sea animal shaped like a star是一種扁平、形狀像星星的海洋動物, usually with five arms coming out from the middle通常從中間伸出五隻腕足, that lives on rocks and the sea floor生活在岩石和海底。Despite the name雖然名字裡有「fish」 it is not a fish at all牠其實根本不是魚 — it has no bones and no gills牠沒有骨頭也沒有鰓 — so scientists and aquarium signs increasingly call it a sea star所以科學家和水族館的告示牌越來越常叫牠sea star。Both names are understood兩個名字大家都聽得懂; starfish is still what most people say不過starfish仍然是大多數人常說的說法
The plural is the interesting part. Like fish, it usually does not change: one starfish, ten starfish. 'Starfishes' exists and is not an error, but it is mostly used by talking about different species.
The plural is the interesting part複數形式才是有趣的地方。Like fish就像fish一樣, it usually does not change它通常不會變: one starfish, ten starfishone starfish, ten starfish。'Starfishes' exists and is not an error'Starfishes'這個形式是存在的，也不算錯, but it is mostly used by biologists talking about different species但主要是生物學家在談不同物種時才會用
A couple of facts that come up whenever the word does: a starfish can grow a lost arm back, and not all of them have exactly five arms — some kinds have many more.
A couple of facts that come up whenever the word does只要提到這個字，就常常會提到幾個小知識: a starfish can grow a lost arm backstarfish可以把失去的腕足重新長回來, and not all of them have exactly five arms而且不是每一種都剛好有五隻腕足 — some kinds have many more有些種類有更多
In gyms and yoga classes, 'starfish' is also the name of a position where you lie with arms and legs spread out wide, and people use it jokingly about how someone sleeps.
In gyms and yoga classes在健身房和瑜珈課裡, 'starfish' is also the name of a position'starfish'也是一種姿勢的名字 where you lie with arms and legs spread out wide指手腳大大張開躺著, and people use it jokingly about how someone sleeps而且人們也會開玩笑地用它來形容一個人睡覺的樣子
組成star + fish. Named for its shape plus the old, loose use of 'fish' for almost anything living in the sea — the same loose use that gave us jellyfish and cuttlefish, neither of which is a fish either.
原始詞典資料7 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
starfishnoun/ˈstɑː(ɹ)fɪʃ/
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Any of various echinoderms (not in fact fish) with usually five arms, many of which eat bivalves or corals by everting their stomach.
- Near-synonym: Asteroidea
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obsoleteAny many-armed or tentacled sea invertebrate, whether cnidarian, echinoderm, or cephalopod.
- But the largest of the star-fish kind is that sea monster called kruken, kraken or krabben. [...] As this enormous sea-animal in all probability may be reckoned of the polype, or of the star-fish, kind, it seems that the parts which are seen rising at its pleasure, and are called arms, are properly the tentacula, or feeding instruments, called horns as well as arms.
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slangA woman (or, less commonly, a gay man) who reluctantly takes part in sexual intercourse, and lies on the back while spreading the limbs.
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vulgarslanglifestylemediapornographyThe anus.
- Hands separated my ass cheeks while some pervert rimmed my puckered brown starfish.
starfishverb/ˈstɑː(ɹ)fɪʃ/
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To assume a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.
- "Oh you damn bastard, why won't you let anybody love you," and then, before I could stop her, she threw herself between us and the glowing suitcase, starfishing in the blaze of light as he blew up.
- The freckle on her eye starfished out and the sun began to move over her face like it does below the surface of water.
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To assume a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.
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To form into a splayed-out shape, like that of a starfish.
- The sea roared up her nostrils, tunnelled into her ears, and flung her forward, then back, the current pulling her fingers apart, starfishing her hands.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。