lamprey
noun
lam·prey ˈlam-prē 
-ˌprā
plural lampreys
: any of a family (Petromyzontidae) of eel-shaped freshwater or anadromous jawless fishes that include those cyclostomes having well-developed eyes and a large disk-shaped suctorial mouth armed with horny teeth
called also lamprey eel
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web One lamprey kills about 40 pounds of fish every year. 
Bill Laitner, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2022 Over time, once-abundant lamprey populations declined. Mckayla Lee, oregonlive, 24 Aug. 2022 This rise of the natives is, ironically, tied to the wave after wave of invasive species that made their way into the lakes in the decades after the lamprey and alewife infestations. jsonline.com, 2 Sep. 2021 The remarkable result is that today the top of the Lake Huron food chain more closely resembles its natural self than anytime since the lamprey and alewives invaded in the mid-1900s. jsonline.com, 2 Sep. 2021 This allowed researchers to concoct a lamprey-specific poison that was pumped into key rivers and streams. Dan Egan, jsonline.com, 2 Sep. 2021 Biologists had called the lamprey-as-ancestor theory into question before, but the problem rested on the sparse fossil record of lampreys. Philip Kiefer, Popular Science, 11 Mar. 2021 The divers spotted an animal known as the vampire fish (a pacific lamprey), Sacramento CBS reports. Michael Hollan, Fox News, 21 May 2021 The lamprey stars in one of this book’s many fascinating vignettes of violence and mayhem—or the threat of it. James Romm, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021 See More
Bill Laitner, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2022 Over time, once-abundant lamprey populations declined. Mckayla Lee, oregonlive, 24 Aug. 2022 This rise of the natives is, ironically, tied to the wave after wave of invasive species that made their way into the lakes in the decades after the lamprey and alewife infestations. jsonline.com, 2 Sep. 2021 The remarkable result is that today the top of the Lake Huron food chain more closely resembles its natural self than anytime since the lamprey and alewives invaded in the mid-1900s. jsonline.com, 2 Sep. 2021 This allowed researchers to concoct a lamprey-specific poison that was pumped into key rivers and streams. Dan Egan, jsonline.com, 2 Sep. 2021 Biologists had called the lamprey-as-ancestor theory into question before, but the problem rested on the sparse fossil record of lampreys. Philip Kiefer, Popular Science, 11 Mar. 2021 The divers spotted an animal known as the vampire fish (a pacific lamprey), Sacramento CBS reports. Michael Hollan, Fox News, 21 May 2021 The lamprey stars in one of this book’s many fascinating vignettes of violence and mayhem—or the threat of it. James Romm, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French lampreie, from Medieval Latin lampreda
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing lamprey
Kids Definition
lamprey
noun
lam·prey ˈlam-prē
plural lampreys
: a water animal that looks like an eel but has a sucking mouth with no jaws