SKIP TO CONTENT

anadromous

/əˈnædrəməs/
IPA guide

Anadromous is used to describe animals, usually fish, that live in the ocean but travel back up through rivers so they can breed in fresh water.

The word anadromous comes from Greek, and means "running upward." When fish swim from the oceans up to the rivers, it's called a run. The most famous version of this is a salmon run, where salmon, an anadromous species, swim all the way from the ocean up to the creek they hatched in. They lay eggs there so that a new generation of salmon will hatch and complete the cycle all over again.

Definitions of anadromous
  1. adjective
    migrating from the sea to fresh water to spawn
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    catadromous
    migrating from fresh water to the sea to spawn
    diadromous
    (used of fish) migratory between fresh and salt waters
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘anadromous'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family