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

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. 2022

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.