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winter flounder

winter flounder

7.5
A flat fish from cold north Atlantic waters that people eat and often catch in winter
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪntər ˈflaʊndər/
  • US
translation icon : platija de invierno
  • For instance, in nearly all of the 1980s, summer flounder and winter flounder were abundant in the bay.

Examples

  • During the winter months, many fishermen target winter flounder due to their abundance.

  • The winter flounder aren't coming back.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Summer flounder, winter flounder, and bluefish.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The chef prepared a delicious meal using fresh winter flounder from the local market.

  • In New England, winter flounder is a popular choice for seafood lovers during the colder season.

Synonyms

Pseudopleuronectes americanus
vswinter flounder
  • Specialized
9.9

A flat fish called winter flounder that lives along North America's Atlantic coast and people eat

is the everyday common name used by fishers and consumers

Surface Forms

Morphology

winter + flounder

The meaning is directly compositional: 'winter' (the cold season) modifies 'flounder' (a flatfish), so the compound denotes a kind of flounder associated with winter. This regular noun–noun pattern (season/attribute + animal) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Winter flounder may come from the fish being a flounder, which is a 'flatfish', and from the fact people often caught it in winter. So the name simply means a flat fish that is caught in winter.