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lamprey

American  
[lam-pree] / ˈlæm pri /

noun

  • lampreys
    plural
  1. any eellike marine or freshwater fish of the order Petromyzoniformes, having a circular, suctorial mouth with horny teeth for boring into the flesh of other fishes to feed on their blood.


lamprey British  
/ ˈlæmprɪ /

noun

  1. Also called: lamper eel. any eel-like cyclostome vertebrate of the family Petromyzonidae, having a round sucking mouth for clinging to and feeding on the blood of other animals See also sea lamprey

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of lamprey

1250–1300; Middle English lampreye < Anglo-French *lampreie ( Old French lamproie ) < Late Latin lamprēda; replacing Old English lamprede < Medieval Latin lampreda


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.

See Examples For:

The River Lugg is home to six protected and endangered species, including common otter, Atlantic salmon, white clawed crayfish, brook lamprey, shad and bullhead.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

Unlike the sea squirt, both the lamprey and the frog produced many more versions of proteins from individual signaling output genes.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 4, 2026

A recent independent U.K. report on the nuclear sector found it would spare the lives of 0.028 sea trout, six river lamprey, 18 allis shad and 528 twaite shad every year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

Fish passage has also been opened for other species recorded in the river, including the critically endangered European eel as well as grayling, trout, lamprey, minnow, stone loach, and bullhead.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025

Since the hour he had arrived in the Red Ke^p, Lady Tanda had been stalking him, armed with a never-ending arsenal of lamprey pies, wild boars, and savory cream stews.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

The Environment Agency found that 2,100 fish died, including eels and lampreys both endangered and protected species.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2024

Taking down the dams will give the Klamath’s fish — including salmon, steelhead and lampreys — the opportunity to reconnect with their ancestral habitats.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2024

Then they did similar analyses on juvenile sharks and lampreys.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 25, 2024

"Sea lampreys have provided an additional clue. Now we need to look even further back in evolutionary time to discover when the gene circuitry governing hindbrain formation first evolved."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 2024

On the dais, Lord Wyman attacked a steaming plate of lampreys as if they were an enemy host.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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