Greyling

/ˈɡreɪlɪŋ/ noun

Definition

A freshwater fish related to salmon and trout, with a large colorful dorsal fin and silvery-grey scales.

Etymology

From 'grey' (the color of the fish) plus -ling (a diminutive suffix), literally meaning 'a small grey thing,' though these fish aren't actually that small.

Kelly Says

Graylings have a dorsal fin so spectacularly large and colorful that fly fishermen call them 'the lady of the stream,' and they're so sensitive to water temperature and pollution that they're like nature's canary in the coal mine for river health.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.