eel

[ eel ]

noun,plural (especially collectively) eel, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) eels.
  1. any of numerous elongated, snakelike marine or freshwater fishes of the order Apodes, having no ventral fins.

  2. any of several similar but unrelated fishes, as the lamprey.

Origin of eel

1
before 1000; Middle English ele,Old English ēl, ǣl; cognate with Dutch aal,German Aal,Old Norse āll

Other words from eel

  • eellike, adjective
  • eely, adjective

Words Nearby eel

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

How to use eel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for eel

eel

/ (iːl) /


noun
  1. any teleost fish of the order Apodes (or Anguilliformes), such as the European freshwater species Anguilla anguilla, having a long snakelike body, a smooth slimy skin, and reduced fins

  2. any of various other animals with a long body and smooth skin, such as the mud eel and the electric eel

  1. an evasive or untrustworthy person

Origin of eel

1
Old English ǣl; related to Old Frisian ēl, Old Norse āll, Old High German āl

Derived forms of eel

  • eel-like, adjective
  • eely, adjective

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with eel

eel

see slippery as an eel.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.