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bottom-dweller

bottom-dweller

6.7
An animal like a fish that lives and eats on the bottom of a lake, river, or sea
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑːtəmˌdwɛlər/
translation icon : peces de fondo
  • PHOTOS (2): A bottom-dweller in the shallow margins of Admiralty Bay, a notothenid fish, left, must avoid contact with fragments of floating ice, which could pierce it like a spear.

Examples

  • We're here to send a message to all the other bottom-dwellers.

  • Oneisa scum-sucking bottom dweller... ...and the other one's a fish.

  • Having lived in apartments or condos my entire adult life, I empathize with both the bottom-dwellers and the top, and I always do my best to be considerate.

    Blog text (6)
  • The angler caught several bottom-dwellers while fishing near the lake's floor.

  • In the aquarium, the bottom-dweller scavenges for leftover food among the rocks.

  • Many bottom-dwellers prefer to hide in the sand during the day to avoid predators.

Synonyms

bottom-feeder
vsbottom-dweller
1 6.5

An animal, often a fish, that lives on the bottom of rivers or lakes and eats dead plants and animals

lives and feeds at or near the bottom but not only by scavenging
bottom fish
vsbottom-dweller
1 4.6

A fish that lives near the sea floor, like cod or haddock

covers animals in any water body and includes noncommercial species too
groundfish
vsbottom-dweller
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A fish that lives near the sea bottom, like cod or flounder

applies to bottom life in any water, not only sea species
bottom-dwelling fish
vsbottom-dweller
4.1

A fish that lives near the bottom of lakes, rivers, or the sea

is broader, including other aquatic animals that live and feed on the bottom

How Deep

bottom-dweller
6.7
mid-water
  • Specialized
6.6
floater
4 3.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

bottom-dweller = bottom + dweller (transparent) = bottom + dwell + er

The meaning is a straightforward compound of 'bottom' + 'dweller' (where 'dweller' = dwell + -er), so learners can derive it from the parts.

Etymology

Bottom-dweller is made of bottom ('lowest part') and dweller ('one who lives'), so it means an animal that lives on or near the floor of a lake, river, or sea. A helpful image to remember it is a fish hiding among rocks at the water's bottom, looking for food.