any of the marine spiny-finned fishes constituting the family Echeneidae. They have a flattened elongated body and attach themselves to larger fish, rocks, etc, by a sucking disc on the top of the head
Word origin
C16: from Latin, from re- + mora delay; an allusion to its alleged habit of delaying ships
remora in American English
(ˈrɛmərə; rəˈmɔrə)
noun
1.
any of a family (Echeneidae) of small, marine percoid fishes with an oval sucking disc on top of the head, by which they cling to sharks and other larger fishes, turtles, passing ships, etc.
2.
anything that hinders or impedes
Word origin
L, lit., hindrance < re-, back + mora, a delay: for IE base see mourn