parr
/pɑː(ɹ)/ noun, proper noun
Forms parrs
- noun Young salmon, at a stage between fry and smolt when they feed chiefly on invertebrates but cannot tolerate saltwater.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A suburb, ward and historic township in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England (OS grid ref SJ5395).
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Union Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Botetourt County, Virginia, United States.
Synonyms
Etymology
For the salmon life stage, the word originates from the Middle English parren (“to enclose”), referring to the spots running along the side of the fish, resembling the bars of a fence.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Cf. Gael. & Ir. bradan a salmon.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “parr”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details