humpback salmon

noun

a pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, inhabiting North Pacific waters: so-called because of the hump that appears behind the head of the male when it is ready for spawning.

Origin of humpback salmon

¹

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

Also called humpy, humpie .

Words Nearby humpback salmon

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

How to use humpback salmon in a sentence

Salmon they smoked in numbers, for now the run of the humpback salmon was on, replacing the earlier one of the smaller red salmon.
The Young Alaskans | Emerson Hough

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