smolt

[ smohlt ]

noun
  1. a young, silvery salmon in the stage of its first migration to the sea.

Origin of smolt

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; perhaps akin to smelt2

Words Nearby smolt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use smolt in a sentence

  • A late sea-going smolt explains the anomaly of a spring salmon.

    The Ocean World: | Louis Figuier
  • They are then called "smolt," and are as adult salmon in all respects save size.

    Alaska | Ella Higginson
  • Shortly after assuming the smolt dress, the young salmon takes its departure to the sea.

    Amateur Fish Culture | Charles Edward Walker
  • In about fifteen months it loses these marks and becomes quite silvery, being now known as a smolt.

    Amateur Fish Culture | Charles Edward Walker

British Dictionary definitions for smolt

smolt

/ (sməʊlt) /


noun
  1. a young salmon at the stage when it migrates from fresh water to the sea

Origin of smolt

1
C14: Scottish, of uncertain origin; perhaps related to smelt ²

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