lamprey
/'læmpri/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A primitive, eel-like jawless fish (a cyclostome) that lives in freshwater or migrates between freshwater and the sea (anadromous). It is characterized by a round, sucking mouth equipped with a rasping, tooth-like tongue used to attach to and feed on the blood and bodily fluids of other fish.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The sea lamprey is an invasive species in the Great Lakes.
- Scientists study the lamprey to understand vertebrate evolution.
- We saw a lamprey attached to the side of a salmon.
Advanced Usage
- "Lamprey eel": A common but technically imprecise name, as lampreys are not true eels.
- The fisherman mistakenly called the creature a lamprey eel.
Variants and Related Words
- Lampreys (n): The plural form.
- Several lampreys were spotted in the river.
Synonyms
- Lamprey eel: (Common name)
- Jawless fish: (Broad biological category)
Related Phrases and Terms
- Anadromous fish: A fish, like some lamprey species, that migrates from the sea to freshwater to spawn.
- Parasitic lamprey: Describes species that feed as parasites on other fish.
- Sucking mouth: A key anatomical feature of the lamprey.
Noun
- primitive eellike freshwater or anadromous cyclostome having round sucking mouth with a rasping tongue