grayling

[ grey-ling ]

/ ˈgreɪ lɪŋ /

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noun

any freshwater fish of the genus Thymallus, related to the trouts but having a longer and higher, brilliantly colored dorsal fin.

any of several grayish or brownish satyr butterflies.

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Origin of grayling

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at gray¹, -ling¹

Words nearby grayling

gray iron, grayish, gray jay, Gray Lady, graylag, grayling, graymail, gray manganese ore, gray market, gray matter, gray mold

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

How to use grayling in a sentence

A few seconds later he landed a delicately spotted, gamy fish about eight inches long, which he recognized as a grayling.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
The grayling could sometimes be caught quite plentifully from the rafts or from the sandy curve on the other side of the bluff.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
The grayling is the deadest-hearted and the foolishest-headed fish that swims.
Angling Sketches|Andrew Lang
On my first day I had spent several hours in the vain effort to catch something better than small grayling.
Little Rivers|Henry van Dyke

Now answer me with candour—you know Grayling—honest Ned Grayling?
Ambrose Gwinett|Douglas William Jerrold

British Dictionary definitions for grayling

grayling

/ (ˈɡreɪlɪŋ) /

noun plural -ling or -lings

any freshwater salmonoid food fish of the genus Thymallus and family Thymallidae, of the N hemisphere, having a long spiny dorsal fin, a silvery back, and greyish-green sides

any butterfly of the satyrid genus Hipparchia and related genera, esp H. semele of Europe, having grey or greyish-brown wings

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