A fish derived from a group once thought extinct. Used as a rhetorical tool by cryptozoologists and creationists to give themselves credibility; the former believe that if a "prehistoric fish" can be found then so can the big monsters that people cook up, while the latter believes that the fish is proof that animals don't evolve.
1. The cryptozoologists don't realize that there's a big difference between finding a coelacanth off the South African coast and finding a 10-foot hairy humanoid in the rapidly dissapearing wooded space in between Starbucks sites.

2. The creationists don't realize that it's the fish's lineage that's ancient and the fish is actually different than its fossil ancestors; and even if it hadn't, it wouldn't matter because natural selction will retard change if a species is perfectly adapted.
by Genetic_Mishap April 2, 2006
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n. 1. a Cretaceous fish, thought to be extinct but found living off the coast of Africa in 1938.
2. a Vietnam-era liberal, still clinging to tired old neo-Marxist canards long after everyone else has left the swamp for dry land. See Chomsky; Kerry; Gore; Jennifer Aniston.
John F. Kerry is a coelacanth on domestic and foreign policy issues.
by Sidmystic July 1, 2004
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A very rare and expensive fish in Animal Crossing.
Tom Nook pays major $$ for a coelacanth.
by demonsweat December 10, 2005
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One sick ass ancient fish who's lived for thousands of years off of thailand.
That coelacanth freaked the shit out of me.
by Jewfro May 27, 2003
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