any small spiny-finned fish of the family Callionymidae, having a flat head and a slender tapering brightly coloured body and living at the bottom of shallow seas
Word origin
C14 (meaning: small dragon): from French; applied to fish C18
dragonet in American English
(ˈdrægənɪt; ˌ drægəˈnɛt)
noun
1.
a small dragon
2.
any of a percoid family (Callionymidae) of small, brightly colored, scaleless, tropical reef fishes