Murrel

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A freshwater fish of Asia and Africa with an elongated body and a long dorsal fin, related to the snakehead
2. An air-breathing freshwater predatory fish in the snakehead family, native to parts of Asia and Africa
3. A slender, predatory freshwater fish belonging to the snakehead family that can breathe air and survive out of water for a time

Etymology: Murrel is the English name for snakehead fishes of the family Channidae, native to Asia and Africa. These fish are known for their ability to breathe air and survive out of water for long periods. The name appears to have reached English from the languages of British India, where it was used for these fish, though the exact source word and the route into English are uncertain. Because the word has kept its meaning, its interest lies in the animal it names rather than in any shift in sense. Its path from South Asian speech into English trade and natural-history writing is the part that remains unclear.

Synonyms: snakehead