anadromous

[ uh-nad-ruh-muhs ]

/ əˈnæd rə məs /

Save This Word!

adjective

(of fish) migrating from salt water to spawn in fresh water, as salmon of the genera Salmo and Oncorhynchus (distinguished from catadromous).

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of anadromous

First recorded in 1745–55, anadromous is from the Greek word anádromos running upward. See ana-, -drome, -ous

Words nearby anadromous

anacusis, anadama bread, anadem, anadenia, anadiplosis, anadromous, Anadyr, Anadyr Range, anaemia, anaemic, anaerobe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anadromous in a sentence

The migratory fishes fall into two groups, the anadromous and the catadtomous.
Boy Scouts Handbook|Boy Scouts of America
They are anadromous fishes of which little more can be said than that a specimen might take a bottom bait once in a way.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1|Various

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.