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elver

American

[el-ver] / ˈɛl vər /

noun

a young eel, especially one that is migrating up a stream from the ocean.

elver British

/ ˈɛlvə /

noun

a young eel, esp one migrating up a river from the sea See also leptocephalus

"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 elver

First recorded in 1630–40; variant of ellfare, literally, “eel-journey”; see origin at eel, fare

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.

Maine fishermen are about 80% of the way through this year’s elver quota.

From Seattle Times • May 1, 2024

The elver quota could be increased in 2019.

From Washington Times • May 9, 2018

Sheldon, 71, is a key player in Maine’s legal elver market.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2017

“During the peak of elver fishing last year fishermen commonly made $3,000 or $4,000 a night,” says McVane, a 23-year-old, third-generation lobsterman.

From Scientific American • Aug. 5, 2014

The young elver, at least a year old, which makes its way from the open sea to the estuaries and rivers.

From The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) A Plain Story Simply Told by Thomson, J. Arthur

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