eel
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: ēl
ipa: /iːl/
rhymes: -iːl
homophone: 'e'll
Forms: form: eels
Etymology: From Middle English el, from Old English ǣl (“eel”), from Proto-West Germanic *āl, from Proto-Germanic *ēlaz (“eel”), which is of unknown origin.
Cognates
Cognate with West Frisian iel (“eel”), Dutch aal (“eel”), German Low German Aal, Ool (“eel”), German Aal (“eel”), Swedish, Danish and Norwegian ål (“eel”).
Senses: examples: text: Off the United States, the National Marine Fisheries Service is helping industry explore fisheries for deep shrimp, rattails, chimeras, orange roughy, smoothheads, slackjaw eels, blue hake, skates and dogfish, which the National Fisheries Institute, an industry group, in an effort to improve their marketability, has renamed cape shark.
ref: 1995 December 26, William J. Broad, “Creatures of the Deep Find Their Way to the Table”, in The New York Times:
glosses: Any freshwater fish of the order Anguilliformes, which are elongated and resemble snakes.
glosses: A European eel (Anguilla anguilla).
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Other ray-finned fishes:
An electric eel (any knifefish of the genus Electrophorus)
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Other ray-finned fishes:
In the order Synbranchiformes:
A swamp eel (any fish in the family Synbranchidae).
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Other ray-finned fishes:
In the order Synbranchiformes:
An earthworm eel, also called the spineless eel (any fish in the family Chaudhuriidae).
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Other ray-finned fishes:
In the order Synbranchiformes:
A spiny eel (any fish in the family Mastacembelidae).
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Other ray-finned fishes:
A deep-sea spiny eel (any fish in the family Notacanthidae).
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Certain amphibians:
A conger eel, also called the Congo eel, amphiuma, and Congo snake (any salamander of the genus Amphiuma).
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Certain amphibians:
A two-legged eel, also called the mud eel and lesser siren, Siren intermedia.
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Certain amphibians:
A leopard eel, also called the leopard siren and reticulated siren, Siren reticulata.
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
Certain amphibians:
A rubber eel, Typhlonectes natans.
glosses: Various other animals that resemble true eels, chiefly in shape:
A vinegar eel, a roundworm of species Turbatrix aceti.
examples: text: That Dennis is a right eel, he always seems to slip away from the scene at the right time.
text: His expression when incredulous. "Why would you think that?" He was a slippery little eel.
ref: 2003, Catherine Anderson, Only by Your Touch:
text: Philosophers and literary critics from ancient times, along with social scientists, physicians, theologians, and biblical scholars more recently, have tried to get a tentative handle, if not a firm grasp, on this "slippery eel" of humor and laughter.
ref: 2004, F. Scott Spencer, Dancing Girls, Loose Ladies, and Women of the Cloth, page 26:
text: John scowled after the dog. "Never fear, my lady. I shall get the sneaky, slippery eel yet."
ref: 2016, Jody Hedlund, Newton and Polly: A Novel of Amazing Grace, page 131:
glosses: Someone or something that is sneaky and/or hard to catch.
Derived terms: word: African eel
taxonomic: Anguilla mossambica
word: African longfin eel
taxonomic: Anguilla bengalensis labiata
word: African mottled eel
taxonomic: Mystriophis rostellatus
word: African spoon-nose eel
taxonomic: Monopterus albus
word: Asian swamp eel
taxonomic: Gymnothorax miliaris
word: bastard eel
taxonomic: Congridae spp.
word: conger eel
english: Amphiuma spp.: order Caudata
translation: Amphiuma spp.: order Caudata
word: Congo eel
taxonomic: Ophidiidae spp.
word: cusk-eel
english: family Synaphobranchidae spp.
translation: family Synaphobranchidae spp.
word: cutthroat eel
english: family Notacanthidae spp.: order Notacanthiformes
translation: family Notacanthidae spp.: order Notacanthiformes
word: deep-sea spiny eel
word: deepwater big-eyed worm eel
english: family Nettastomatidae
translation: family Nettastomatidae
word: duckbill eel
word: eel basket
word: eel-blenny
word: eelblenny
word: eelboat
word: eelbuck
word: eeler
word: eelery
word: eelfare
word: eelfish
english: [marine], Vallisneria spp. [freshwater]
translation: [marine], Vallisneria spp. [freshwater]
taxonomic: Zostera spp.
word: eelgrass
word: eelish
word: eellike
word: eel-like
word: Eel Pie Island
word: eelpot
word: eelpout
taxonomic: Zoarcidae spp.
word: eel-pout
word: eelskin
word: eelspear
word: eelworm
word: eely
english: order Gymnotiformes spp.
translation: order Gymnotiformes spp.
word: electric eel
taxonomic: Anguilla anguilla
word: European eel
taxonomic: Mastacembelus erythrotaenia
word: fire eel
taxonomic: Heterocongrinae spp.
word: garden eel
word: glass eel
word: green eel
taxonomic: Saccopharyngiformes spp.
word: gulper eel
taxonomic: Anguilla japonica
word: Japanese eel
taxonomic: Petromyzontiformes spp.
word: lamper eel
taxonomic: Anguilla mossambica
word: longfin eel
taxonomic: Derichthyidae spp.
word: longneck eel
word: marbled eel
taxonomic: Panturichthys mauritanicus
word: Mauritanian shortface eel
alt: Cebidichthys violaceus
word: monkeyface eel
taxonomic: Muraenidae spp.
word: moray eel
english: Siren intermedia spp.: order Caudata
translation: Siren intermedia spp.: order Caudata
word: mud eel
taxonomic: Derichthyidae spp.
word: neck eel
alt: Eurypharynx pelecanoides
word: pelican eel
taxonomic: Muraenesox bagio
word: pike eel
taxonomic: Petromyzontiformes spp.
word: ramper eel
word: rock eel
english: family Typhlonectidae spp.: order Gymnophiona
translation: family Typhlonectidae spp.: order Gymnophiona
word: rubber eel
english: family Ammodytidae spp.
translation: family Ammodytidae spp.
word: sand eel
english: family Serrivomeridae
translation: family Serrivomeridae
word: sawtooth eel
taxonomic: Congridae spp.
word: sea eel
taxonomic: Anguilla australis
word: short-finned eel
taxonomic: Ariosoma mellissii
word: silver eel
taxonomic: Myxinidae spp.
word: slime eel
word: slippery as an eel
word: snake eel
english: family Ophichthidae spp.
translation: family Ophichthidae spp.
word: snake-eel
english: family Nemichthyidae spp.
translation: family Nemichthyidae spp.
word: snipe eel
taxonomic: Echidna nebulosa
word: snowflake eel
english: family Moringuidae spp.
translation: family Moringuidae spp.
word: spaghetti eel
english: family Mastacembelidae spp.: order Synbranchiformes
translation: family Mastacembelidae spp.: order Synbranchiformes
word: spiny eel
taxonomic: Synbranchidae spp.
word: swamp eel
english: genus Myroconger spp.
translation: genus Myroconger spp.
word: thin eel
english: Siren intermedia spp.: order Caudata
translation: Siren intermedia spp.: order Caudata
word: two-legged eel
taxonomic: Turbatrix aceti
word: vinegar eel
taxonomic: Anguina tritici
word: wheat-eel
taxonomic: Conger cinereus
word: white eel
taxonomic: Anarrhichthys ocellatus
word: wolf eel
english: families Ophichthidae spp., Moringuidaespp., et al
translation: families Ophichthidae spp., Moringuidaespp., et al
word: worm eel
Related terms: elver