salmon

[sam-uhn]

noun

plural

salmons ,

plural

salmon .

1. a marine and freshwater food fish, Salmo salar, of the family Salmonidae, having pink flesh, inhabiting waters off the North Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America near the mouths of large rivers, which it enters to spawn.

2. landlocked salmon.

3. any of several salmonoid food fishes of the genus Oncorhynchus, inhabiting the North Pacific Ocean.

4. a light yellowish-pink.

adjective

1. of the color salmon.

salmon

/ ˈsæmən /

noun

1. any soft-finned fish of the family Salmonidae, esp Salmo salar of the Atlantic and Oncorhynchus species (sockeye, Chinook, etc) of the Pacific, which are important food fishes. They occur in cold and temperate waters and many species migrate to fresh water to spawn

2. any of several unrelated fish, esp the Australian salmon

3. short for salmon pink

Other Word Forms

• salmonlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of salmon¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English salmoun, samoun, from Anglo-French from Old French saumon, or directly from Latin salmōn-, stem of salmō

Word History and Origins

Origin of salmon¹

C13: from Old French saumon, from Latin salmō; related to Late Latin salar trout

Example Sentences

Foods high in potassium—sweet potatoes, salmon, spinach, avocados, bananas—are also healthy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The cookbook offers helpful guides to the different varieties of herring—from New Catch to schmaltz—smoked salmon and specialty fish such as sturgeon and sable and caviar.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Skeletal replicas of the terrifying mosasaur, a Komodo Dragon relative with a six-foot jaw; the saber-toothed salmon; and other extinct species greet visitors in the museum’s entrance hall.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

All three rivers are protected for their importance to rare wildlife, including otters, freshwater pearl mussels and the Atlantic salmon.

Read more on BBC

He feeds her salmon and bottled water; no impurities for his girl, who has Russian and Danish lineage and is as smart as she is sweet, according to the proudest of dog owners.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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