anadromous
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of anadromous
First recorded in 1745–55, anadromous is from the Greek word anádromos running upward. See ana-, -drome, -ous
Explanation
Anadromous is used to describe animals, usually fish, that live in the ocean but travel back up through rivers so they can breed in fresh water. The word anadromous comes from Greek, and means "running upward." When fish swim from the oceans up to the rivers, it's called a run. The most famous version of this is a salmon run, where salmon, an anadromous species, swim all the way from the ocean up to the creek they hatched in. They lay eggs there so that a new generation of salmon will hatch and complete the cycle all over again.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Salmon are anadromous, meaning they spend much of their lives in the ocean but return to freshwater rivers to spawn.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2024
Well, yes, but that is NOT true for the Walla Walla and Yakima River basins, where vineyards are irrigated at the expense of native and anadromous fisheries.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 17, 2023
And with the borough’s mandatory 50-foot setback for anadromous streams on private property development, he’s heavily hampered on what he can do on his property with so little land, he said.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 3, 2017
Even though officials have made it easier for the anadromous fish to migrate from the ocean to freshwater rivers where they are born, “the fish aren’t coming back,” he said.
From Washington Post
Shad, along with other anadromous, or "up-running," fish are born near the head-waters of rivers, and seek the ocean for feeding and growth.
From The Bounty of the Chesapeake Fishing in Colonial Virginia by Wharton, James
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
