parr

¹ American  

[pahr] / pɑr /

noun

plural

parrs,

plural

parr

1. a young salmon, having dark crossbars on its sides.

2. the young of certain other fishes, as the codfish.

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Parr ² American  

[pahr] / pɑr /

noun

1. Catherine. Catherine Parr.

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Parr ¹ British  

/ pɑː /

noun

1. Catherine. 1512–48, sixth wife of Henry VIII of England

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parr ² British  

/ pɑː /

noun

1. a salmon up to two years of age, with dark spots and transverse bands

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Etymology

Origin of parr

First recorded in 1765–70; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Jennifer Kril, living rivers officer at the trust, said: "It's been years in the making, but finding salmon parr here confirms we have achieved the extraordinary."

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025

The young fish, known as parr, have been spawned in the River Ecclesbourne, near the site of the former Postern Mill in Turnditch.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025

Developmental stages—the transitions between the eggs, fry, parr, smolt, and returning salmon—are governed by changes in water temperature, and warmer waters can disrupt the salmon’s life cycle by triggering stunted growth or premature hatching.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 7, 2019

Each year, Maine’s Department of Marine Resources and United States Fish and Wildlife Service stocks the rivers and streams with millions of salmon eggs and fry and thousands of parr and smolts.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 7, 2019

Even in the second year after DDT enters a stream, a foraging salmon parr would have trouble finding anything more than an occasional small stonefly.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson