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anadromous

[ uh-nad-ruh-muhs ]
/ əˈnæd rə məs /
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adjective
(of fish) migrating from salt water to spawn in fresh water, as salmon of the genera Salmo and Oncorhynchus (distinguished from catadromous).
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Origin of anadromous

First recorded in 1745–55, anadromous is from the Greek word anádromos running upward. See ana-, -drome, -ous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anadromous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anadromous

anadromous
/ (əˈnædrəməs) /

adjective
(of fishes such as the salmon) migrating up rivers from the sea in order to breedCompare catadromous

Word Origin for anadromous

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-năd′rə-məs ]

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.
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