grunion

American  

[gruhn-yuhn] / ˈgrʌn yən /

noun

1. a small, silvery food fish, Leuresthes tenuis, of southern California, that spawns at high tide in wet sand.

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grunion British  

/ ˈɡrʌnjən /

noun

1. a Californian marine teleost fish, Leuresthes tenuis, that spawns on beaches: family Atherinidae (silversides)

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Etymology

Origin of grunion

1915–20; probably < Spanish gruñon grunter, derivative of gruñir to grunt < Latin grunnīre

Example Sentences

One unsold lot consisted of a collection of stories, poems, limericks and even a newspaper — titled the Carmichael, after the family’s cat — he put together for his stepchildren, many of them detailing the activity of Carmichael and his sibling, the dog Grunion.

From Los Angeles Times

Now that many of you have spoken, it seems clear that my recently published list of 101 best California experiences is unacceptably short of castles, train rides, ghost towns, underground gardens, pixie margaritas and grunion runs.

From Los Angeles Times

Grunion, a submarine that was lost at sea.

From New York Times

One recent study found that even quite dim light alters where plovers roost and grunion spawn.

From Washington Post

Yet another 2021 study, led by Longcore, showed similarly low thresholds of light on stretches of California beach can prevent plovers from roosting and fish called grunion from throwing themselves ashore to spawn.

From Scientific American