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Arctic char

Arctic char

1 6.5
A cold-water fish like a small salmon with pink flesh and silver skin
  • noun
  • /ˈɑrk.tɪk tʃɑr/
translation icon : trucha ártica
  • The chef prepared a delicious Arctic char dish, complete with a lemon butter sauce.
  • trout and Arctic char
  • lakes containing Arctic char
  • Arctic char and salmon

Examples

  • Large lakes are dominated by lake trout or, in the absence of trout, by arctic char.

    Academic text (1999)
  • When fishing in the icy waters, we caught several Arctic char, known for their unique flavor.

  • Another night I had pan-roasted Arctic char, which was also perfectly cooked.

    Blog text (14)
  • For my main course, I ate seared Arctic char served over celeriac puree with Brussels sprouts.

    Blog text (10)
  • For my dinner, I enjoyed a beautifully grilled Arctic char with a side of roasted vegetables.

Synonyms

char
vsArctic char
  • Specialized
3 9.3

A small fish like a trout that lives in cold northern lakes

is narrower, indicating a specific cold-water species with pink flesh and silvery look
Salvelinus alpinus
vsArctic char
  • Specialized
9.9

A small cold-water fish like a trout often called Arctic char that lives in northern lakes

is the common descriptive name used in general language
charr
vsArctic char
  • Specialized
9.9

A small trout-like freshwater fish that lives in cold northern lakes and rivers

is the single specific cold-water species noted for pink flesh and silvery look

Surface Forms

Arctic char singular
Arctic chars plural

Morphology

Arctic + char

The noun phrase combines the adjective 'Arctic' (northern/cold-region) with the noun 'char' (a northern freshwater fish), so the meaning 'a fish from Arctic/subarctic waters' is directly derivable from the parts. This follows a common modifier+noun composition found cross-linguistically, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Arctic char comes from two simple parts: Arctic (where the fish lives) and char, an old word that may mean 'red' because the fish often has pink flesh. So, the name points to a fish from the Arctic known for its pink flesh.