cichlid

The term 'cichlid' originates from the modern Latin genus name Cichla, which was established by the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus in the 18th century. Cichla itself was derived from the Greek word kikhlē (κίχλη), a general term for a type of thrush or wrasse, a kind of sea fish. This naming reflects an early, somewhat imprecise application of an ancient Greek fish name to a newly categorized group of freshwater species. The modern English word 'cichlid' thus carries this classical allusion through the lens of modern scientific taxonomy, referring specifically to the diverse and widespread family of perch-like fishes.

The word is a modern scientific Latin formation taken as a whole from the genus name Cichla.