diadromous
|di-a-dro-mous|
🇺🇸
/ˌdaɪəˈdroʊməs/
🇬🇧
/ˌdaɪəˈdrəʊməs/
migrating between fresh and salt water
Etymology
'diadromous' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'diadromos', where 'dia-' meant 'through' and 'dromos' meant 'running'.
'diadromous' was formed in New Latin/modern scientific usage from Greek 'diadromos' and entered English in zoological and ecological contexts in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Initially in Greek it meant 'running through' (literally), but over time it became specialized in biological usage to mean 'migrating between fresh and salt water.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
describing fish or other aquatic organisms that migrate between fresh and salt water (e.g., between rivers and the sea).
Salmon are diadromous fish that migrate from the ocean into rivers to spawn.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/23 19:18