electric eel

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noun

an eellike, freshwater fish, Electrophorus electricus, found in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and tributaries, sometimes over 6 feet (1.8 meters) long, capable of emitting strong electric discharges.

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Origin of electric eel

First recorded in 1785–95

Words nearby electric eel

electric current, electric dipole moment, electric discharge, electric-discharge lamp, electric displacement, electric eel, electric eye, electric field, electric field intensity, electric field strength, electric fire

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

How to use electric eel in a sentence

It goes to show how very, very little we know about how electric eels behave in the wild.
Some electric eels coordinate attacks to zap their prey|Jonathan Lambert|January 14, 2021|Science News
The TVA, a federally owned and chartered electric power provider, is a New Deal legacy just like Social Security.
Steve Scalise Shows There’s a Fine Line Between Confederate & Southern|Lloyd Green|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Raw eel seemed to be popular during and after the Middle Ages.
History's Craziest Hangover Cures|Justin Jones|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding|Carla Hall|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

To that end, the budget postpones federal phase-out of incandescent electric bulbs.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Thursday, Russian bloggers published pictures of empty shelves in stores that once sold electric goods.
After His Disastrous Annual Press Conference, Putin Needs A Hug|Anna Nemtsova|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like an electric shock, the well-known chords of the Tragala aroused his hearers—every one crowded round the singer.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The effect of his drumming before the Café de la Loge was electric.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
"I wish the old homes of England had electric lights," thought Miss Otis, with a sigh.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Above, great standard electric lamps shed their white glare upon the eddying throng casting a myriad of grotesque shadows.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Not one of the early electric actions proved either quick or reliable, and all were costly to install and maintain.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for electric eel

electric eel

noun

an eel-like freshwater cyprinoid fish, Electrophorus electricus, of N South America, having electric organs in the body: family Electrophoridae

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