Skip to main content
blue jack

blue jack

9.9
A small salmon that lives along the northern Pacific coasts and in the Great Lakes
  • noun
  • /blu dʒæk/
  • US
translation icon : salmón azul
  • Many anglers hope to catch a blue jack during the spring migration.

Examples

  • The restaurant served a smoked blue jack caught fresh from the Great Lakes.

  • Scientists are studying the habitat requirements of the blue jack population.

  • The blue jack is known for its vibrant color.

  • Have you ever caught a blue jack?

  • Many anglers hope to catch a blue jack during the spring migration.

  • Scientists are studying the habitat requirements of the blue jack population.

  • The restaurant served a smoked blue jack caught fresh from the Great Lakes.

Synonyms

coho
vsblue jack
  • US
2 9.1

A small salmon that lives in the north Pacific and Great Lakes and is caught for food and sport

is described by where it lives rather than by its use as food
coho salmon
vsblue jack
  • US
1 3.0

A small salmon from the Pacific Ocean often eaten for its tender flesh

is described by where it is found rather than by its use as food
cohoe
vsblue jack
  • US
9.9

A small salmon that lives in the northern Pacific and Great Lakes

is the same fish but is a different common name
Oncorhynchus kisutch
vsblue jack
  • Specialized
9.9

A small salmon that lives in the northern Pacific and the Great Lakes and is fished for its meat

is the common name focusing on where it is found rather than formal naming
silver salmon
vsblue jack
  • US
4.1

A small salmon with a shiny silver body that lives in the northern Pacific and the Great Lakes

is described only by where it lives, not by its shiny color
jack salmon
vsblue jack
  • US
9.5

Small young salmon, often male Pacific salmon that return early to rivers

is the general small salmon found along those coasts and in lakes

Surface Forms

blue jack singular
blue jacks plural

Morphology

blue + jack

This is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'blue' (color) modifying 'jack' (a type of fish), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a jackfish that is blue. The specific taxonomic detail (a small salmon found in particular regions) is specialized knowledge, but the core meaning—a blue-colored fish called a jack—is transparently derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Blue jack likely comes from two simple words: blue for the fish's colour and jack a name fishermen used for young or small salmon. So the picture of a small blueish salmon explains why the name means 'a small salmon' today.