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lamprey

[ lam-pree ]
/ ˈlæm pri /
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noun, plural lam·preys.
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.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also called lamprey eel, lamper eel.

Origin of lamprey

1250–1300; Middle English lampreye<Anglo-French *lampreie (Old French lamproie) <Late Latin lamprēda; replacing Old English lamprede<Medieval Latin lampreda
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lamprey in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lamprey

lamprey
/ (ˈlæmprɪ) /

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

Word Origin for lamprey

C13: from Old French lamproie, from Late Latin lamprēda; origin obscure
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
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