trout

Definition

Any of several species of fish in Salmonidae, closely related to salmon, and distinguished by spawning more than once.

Etymology

From Middle English troute, troughte, trught, trouȝt, trouhte, partly from Old English truht (“trout”), and partly from Old French truite; both from Late Latin tructa, perhaps from Ancient Greek τρώκτης (trṓktēs, “nibbler”), from τρώγω (trṓgō, “I gnaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, to turn”). The Internet verb sense originated on BBSes of the 1980s, probably from Monty Python's The Fish-Slapping Dance (1972), though that sketch involved a halibut.

Example Sentences

• "Many anglers consider trout to be the archetypical quarry."
• "Now we plunged into a deep shade with the boughs lacing each other overhead, and crossed dainty, rustic bridges over the cold trout-streams, the boards giving back the clatter of our horses' feet:[…]."
• "“This morning,” he said, “We will fish, Turner. We will cast for trout so that we may catch grayling.”"