black crappie
1
8.6
- noun
- /blæk ˈkræpi/
- US
- Black crappie are characterized by their dark scales and irregular black spots on their bodies.
- black crappie and bass
- black crappie and rock bass
Examples
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The black crappie is popular among anglers for its delicious flavor.
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Unlike the white crappie, the black crappie has darker spots and a deeper body.
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We caught several black crappie at the lake yesterday afternoon.
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I caught a huge black crappie yesterday.
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The black crappie is known for its delicious taste.
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Many anglers enjoy catching black crappie because it is a popular game fish.
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In the summer, black crappie can often be found near submerged structures in lakes.
Synonyms
5
9.9
A small freshwater fish in North America that people catch for sport
1
4.7
A small freshwater fish with a flat body that eats insects and small fish
1
9.9
A freshwater fish with dark spots known as the black crappie
1
9.9
A North American freshwater fish in the sunfish family called crappie
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is a straightforward color + noun compound: 'black' (dark-colored) + 'crappie' (a small North American fish) yields a crappie that is black or darkly blotched. This compositional pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning.
Etymology
Black crappie may get its name from the French word 'crapet', which early fishermen in North America used for small sunfish. The word black points to the fish's dark spots, so the name describes this dark, spotted freshwater fish.