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gray snapper

gray snapper

8.0
A sea fish often caught near coasts for food and sport
  • noun
  • /ɡreɪ ˈsnæpər/
  • US
translation icon : pargo gris
  • For dinner, we grilled a delicious gray snapper that was freshly caught that morning.

Examples

  • The local fishermen often catch gray snapper when fishing in the shallow waters off the coast of Florida.

  • We grilled the gray snapper we caught during our fishing trip.

  • The gray snapper is frequently caught by anglers along the Gulf Coast.

  • Local fishermen reported seeing gray snappers near the mangroves at low tide this morning.

  • The gray snapper is a popular catch among fishermen.

  • Have you ever eaten gray snapper?

  • Many anglers prefer gray snapper for its tasty flesh and challenging fight when hooked.

Synonyms

snapper
vsgray snapper
10 6.6

A large sea fish with sharp teeth often caught for food and sport

names a single local species rather than the whole fish group
Lutjanus griseus
vsgray snapper
  • Specialized
9.9

A gray snapper fish that lives in shallow coastal waters near Florida

is the common fishing and market name for the same species
mangrove snapper
vsgray snapper
  • US
6.7

A common sea fish that lives in shallow water near mangrove roots and people catch for food

is the general food and game name without habitat emphasis

Surface Forms

gray snapper singular
gray snappers plural
grey snappers plural
grey snapper singular

Morphology

gray + snapper

This is a straightforward adjective + noun combination: 'gray' specifies the color of the noun 'snapper', so the meaning 'a snapper that is gray' is directly compositional and predictable. Such color‑noun compounds are cross‑linguistically common and thus immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Gray snapper gets its name from the fish's look and how it eats: gray for its dull colour and snapper because its strong jaws 'snap' shut on prey. So today the name means that grey, biting fish people catch for food and sport.