Sewin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A silvery migratory sea trout found in the rivers and coastal waters of Wales and the British Isles
2. A type of brown trout that spends part of its life at sea, especially prized in Welsh rivers
3. The Welsh name for a sea-going form of brown trout that returns to freshwater streams to spawn

Etymology: Sewin is the Welsh name for the sea trout, a migratory form of brown trout that spends part of its life at sea and returns to rivers to spawn. English borrowed the word directly from Welsh, where it appears in the spellings "sewin" and "siwin." Because the fish is so closely tied to Welsh rivers, the Welsh name stuck in English, especially in the country's own angling tradition, rather than being replaced by the more general English "sea trout." The borrowing reflects the fish's place in Welsh life rather than any wider linguistic story. Anglers in Wales have long distinguished the sewin from the salmon and the common brown trout, and the separate name marks a fish that behaves differently from both. The word is therefore a regional term that English adopted to name a local fish, not a word with a long journey through other languages.

Synonyms: sea trout