smallmouth black bass
- noun
- /ˈsmɔːlmaʊθ blæk bæs/
- Specialized
:
lubina de boca pequeña
- The smallmouth black bass is prized by anglers for its fighting spirit and agility.
Examples
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Unlike its cousin, the smallmouth black bass has a mouth that does not extend past the eye.
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Many anglers enjoy catching smallmouth black bass in lakes.
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He caught a large smallmouth black bass while fishing in the lake.
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The smallmouth black bass is a popular game fish.
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Many anglers enjoy catching smallmouth black bass in local lakes during the summer.
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The smallmouth black bass is often found in rocky areas of rivers and lakes.
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He caught a sizable smallmouth black bass that weighed over five pounds.
Synonyms
8
7.7
A freshwater bass fish with a small mouth found in North American lakes and rivers
1
5.4
A freshwater fish from North America with a small mouth popular with people who fish
A North American freshwater fish that has a small mouth below the eye
A North American freshwater fish with a small mouth often caught for sport
A freshwater fish called smallmouth bass that lives in North American lakes and rivers
Surface Forms
Morphology
smallmouth + black + bass
The phrase is a literal, compositional noun phrase naming a type of bass characterized by a relatively small mouth and dark coloration; its meaning follows directly from combining 'smallmouth' (a bass with a small mouth), 'black' (color), and 'bass' (fish). This standard adjectival + noun/compound structure is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer it refers to a kind of fish.
Etymology
Smallmouth black bass: The name smallmouth, black and bass comes from how the fish looks — it has a smallmouth (a mouth that does not reach past the eye) and a darker, 'black' colour, and bass is the common word for this kind of fish. So the name tells you it is a 'type of freshwater fish' often found in lakes and rivers and liked by people who fish.