catadromous

American

[kuh-tad-ruh-muhs] / kəˈtæd rə məs /

adjective

(of fish) migrating from fresh water to spawn in the sea, as eels of the genus Anguilla (distinguished from anadromous).

catadromous British

/ kəˈtædrəməs /

adjective

(of fishes such as the eel) migrating down rivers to the sea in order to breed Compare anadromous

"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

Etymology

Origin of catadromous

First recorded in 1880–85; cata- + -dromous

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.

See Examples For:

catadromous

She said European eels had catadromous breeding, which meant they hatched in the Sargasso sea in the Atlantic Ocean, grew up in freshwater environments and then spawned back in the sea.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Of the catadromous fishes there is a single example in our waters--the common eel.

From Boy Scouts Handbook The First Edition, 1911 by Boy Scouts of America

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023