salmon

[ sam-uh n ]

/ ˈsæm ən /

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noun, plural salm·ons, (especially collectively) salm·on for 1–3.

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.

landlocked salmon.

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

a light yellowish-pink.

adjective

of the color salmon.

Nearby words

salmagundi, salmanazar, salmeterol xinafoate, salmi, salmis, salmon, salmon brick, salmon ladder, salmon pink, salmon river mountains, salmon trout

Origin of salmon

1200–50; Middle English salmoun, samoun < Anglo-French (Old French saumon) < Latin salmōn-, stem of salmō

Related forms

salm·on·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for salmon

The state of Idaho paid a bounty hunter to kill wolves in the Salmon River country.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The salmon is presented atop a mound of sautéed vegetables: mushrooms, peppers, squash, onions, leafy greens, and herbs.
Spaghetti for Breakfast?! Not So Crazy at This Idaho Farm Café|Jane & Michael Stern|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Non-fish eaters should attend the arts and crafts fair or catch a live show at the Salmon Jam.
America’s Best Summer Food Festivals|Lonely Planet|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For anyone feeling guilty from eating all that salmon, you can sign up for the AK Salmon Runs road race on the second day.
America’s Best Summer Food Festivals|Lonely Planet|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Salmon burgers and shrimp burgers are available, too, but they are no match for the crab.
Become a Fried Seafood Believer at South Beach Market|Jane & Michael Stern|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They found employment on the railroads, in lumber mills and salmon canneries, in mines and on farms, and in domestic service.
Our Foreigners|Samuel P. Orth
Later that same year, on a war-party near Salmon River, he was killed.
The Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha|Ellen H. Walworth
Ever since we came down upon the Snake River we had seen quantities of salmon.
Tracks of a Rolling Stone|Henry J. Coke
The mouth of the stream was crowded with salmon, waiting to get up the first fresh.
Ravenshoe|Henry Kingsley
I remember one case of this kind among many others that took place on Salmon River, in the fall of 1855.
A String of Pearls|Various

British Dictionary definitions for salmon

salmon

/ (ˈsæmən) /

noun plural -ons or -on

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

Australian any of several unrelated fish, esp the Australian salmon

short for salmon pink

Word Origin for salmon

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

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

salmon

noun, plural salm·ons, (especially collectively) salm·on for 1–3.

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of salmon

Related forms

Examples from the Web for salmon

British Dictionary definitions for salmon

salmon

noun plural -ons or -on

Word Origin for salmon