anadromous

[ uh-nad-ruh-muhs ]

adjective
  1. (of fish) migrating from salt water to spawn in fresh water, as salmon of the genera Salmo and Oncorhynchus (distinguished from catadromous).

Origin of anadromous

1
First recorded in 1745–55, anadromous is from the Greek word anádromos running upward. See ana-, -drome, -ous

Words Nearby anadromous

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How to use anadromous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anadromous

anadromous

/ (əˈnædrəməs) /


adjective
  1. (of fishes such as the salmon) migrating up rivers from the sea in order to breed: Compare catadromous

Origin of anadromous

1
C18: from Greek anadromos running upwards, from ana- + dromos a running

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for anadromous

anadromous

[ ə-nădrə-məs ]


  1. Relating to fish, such as salmon or shad, that migrate up rivers from the sea to breed in fresh water.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.