tarpon

[tahr-puhn]

noun

plural

tarpons ,

plural

tarpon .

1. a large, powerful game fish, Megalops atlantica, inhabiting the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean, having a compressed body and large, silvery scales.

tarpon

/ ˈtɑːpən /

noun

1. a large silvery clupeoid game fish, Tarpon atlanticus, of warm Atlantic waters, having a compressed body covered with large scales: family Elopidae

2. another name for ox-eye herring

3. any similar related fish

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarpon¹

1675–85; earlier tarpum, trapham, terbum, of uncertain origin; compare Dutch tarpoen; words in various Indian languages of Central America ( Miskito tapam, Sumo tahpam, Rama tā́pum, Paya ta’pam ) probably ultimately < English

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarpon¹

C17: perhaps from Dutch tarpoen, of unknown origin

Example Sentences

To help manage the health of both the tarpon fishery and the hammerhead population, the researchers urge solutions that don't impact either species.

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Setting out into the Gulf of Mexico in threes and fours, fishermen returned with buckets of tarpon and long, streaked snook.

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The work leveraged networks of thousands of acoustic receivers that tracked 200 tarpon over more than five years.

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This is where people go to hunt alligators, fish for tarpon and search for scallops in the shallow waters.

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John Callion, 33, a Marathon tarpon guide, saw the tragedy unfold from his boat and sprang into action to try to save the family, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office 911 call log.

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