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Glite Dictionary
sea lamprey

sea lamprey

1 7.5
A large fish without jaws that attaches to other fish and feeds on them
  • noun
  • /siː ˈlæmpri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lamprea de mar
  • Invasive species like the sea lamprey can have devastating impacts on local ecosystems and biodiversity.
  • female sea lamprey
  • parasitic sea lamprey
  • male sea lamprey

Examples

  • The sea lamprey, a parasitic fish, has had a catastrophic impact on native lake trout populations, resulting in millions of dollars in damages and losses to commercial fisheries.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The sea lamprey is a parasitic fish that attaches to larger fish and feeds on their blood.

  • Biologists are studying how the invasive sea lamprey affects the populations of native fish in the Great Lakes.

Synonyms

lamprey
vssea lamprey
9 9.0

A thin eel-like fish with no jaws that attaches to other fish to feed

names the particular large parasitic Atlantic species that feeds on other fish
Petromyzon marinus
vssea lamprey
  • Specialized
9.9

A large eel-like fish that moves from sea into rivers to attach to and feed on other fish, sometimes eaten

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific label
lamper eel
vssea lamprey
  • Archaic
9.9

A jawless eel-like fish that sticks to other fish using a round sucking mouth

is the standard common name instead of this alternative term
lamprey eel
vssea lamprey
8.3

A long fish without jaws with a round mouth that sucks blood from fish in rivers or seas

is the simpler common label not stressing shape

Surface Forms

sea lamprey singular
sea lampreys plural

Morphology

sea + lamprey

The meaning 'a lamprey that lives in the sea' is directly derivable from combining 'sea' (saltwater body) with 'lamprey' (a primitive fish). This noun–noun compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should understand the MWE.

Etymology

Sea lamprey The name lamprey may come from an old word meaning 'stone-licker', a picture that helps us imagine its long body and round, sucking mouth. The fish uses that round mouth to attach to and suck the blood of other fish, so the name fits a parasitic fish.