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Glite Dictionary
Esox lucius

Esox lucius

9.8
A large freshwater fish that eats other fish and lives in northern lakes
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Esox lucius
  • Studying the diet of Esox lucius helps biologists understand freshwater ecosystems.

Examples

  • The Esox lucius is renowned for its speed and aggressive hunting behavior in northern lakes.

  • Anglers often target Esox lucius because of its size and fighting spirit.

  • The Esox lucius is known for its sharp teeth.

  • Have you ever caught an Esox lucius?

  • Anglers often target Esox lucius because of its size and fighting spirit.

  • Studying the diet of Esox lucius helps biologists understand freshwater ecosystems.

  • The Esox lucius is renowned for its speed and aggressive hunting behavior in northern lakes.

Synonyms

pike
vsEsox lucius
7 6.4

A large freshwater fish with a long body and sharp teeth

is the scientific name rather than the common everyday name
luce
vsEsox lucius
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A large fish that lives in rivers and lakes and has a long body and sharp teeth

is the modern scientific name not the archaic or historical term
northern pike
vsEsox lucius
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A large freshwater fish with a long body that eats other fish in lakes and rivers

is the scientific name used in biology for that exact species
jackfish
vsEsox lucius
  • US
7.5

A freshwater fish like a pike that hunts in lakes

is the scientific name for one species rather than a regional umbrella name

Surface Forms

Esox lucius singular
Esox luciuses plural

Morphology

Esox + lucius

Esox lucius is a Latin scientific binomial functioning as a fixed taxonomic name rather than a compositional English phrase; its meaning 'northern pike' is an arbitrary label for a species and not derived from the constituent words. Even if a learner knew that Esox is a fish genus, the species epithet 'lucius' is not interpretable, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would not be able to derive the common-species meaning.

Etymology

Esox lucius may come from old Greek and Latin words for the pike: Esox was a Greek word for a long, toothy fish and lucius was a Latin name used for that same fish. So the name simply means 'the pike', which is why it names the northern pike fish.