electric eel
4
3.4
- noun
- /ɪˈlɛktrɪk il/
:
anguila eléctrica
- Six electric eels generating 500 volts each.
There you go, electric eel infested water.
- There you go, electric eel infested water.
Examples
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He had a special interest in sharks, electric eels, and octopuses.
Fiction book (1993) -
Dr. Coates' Electric Eel Lab: Here, electric eels and tanks of African mormyrids serve as research animals in this demonstration scientific research laboratory.
Academic text (1995) -
Yes, yes, because it's an electric eel and it's shaking it.
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These like aliens that actually live on our planet and then looking in a tank and seeing an electric eel do its thing.
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People received shocks from electric eels to accelerate healing in 2750 BC (Oschman, 2000).
Academic text (2005) -
The electric eel can generate powerful electric shocks to defend itself from predators.
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In the Amazon River, the electric eel is known for its ability to produce high-voltage electricity.
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Children were amazed when they learned that the electric eel can deliver shocks strong enough to stun its prey.
Synonyms
A long fish like an eel that lives in freshwater and makes strong electric shocks to hunt and protect itself
A large South American freshwater fish that can give strong electric shocks
How Dangerous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a type of eel that produces electric shocks' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'electric' (relating to electricity) with 'eel' (a long fish). This compound follows a straightforward noun-modifier pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Electric eel comes from a long, snake-like fish whose special electric organs can make strong shocks and whose long eel body looks like a snake. It uses these shocks to 'stun' prey and protect itself, so the name means a real freshwater fish that can give a 'shock'.