Walleye

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A species of freshwater fish recognized for its keen eyesight and predatory behavior, frequently pursued by anglers for sport and culinary enjoyment
2. This fish, prevalent in North America, is distinguished by its unique body shape and is renowned in both sport fishing and gastronomy
3. A type of freshwater fish commonly found in North America, known for its sharp vision and predation, valued by fishermen for both sport and food

Etymology: The fish's name is a sort of backwards construction. "Walleyed" was the older word, describing a person or animal with an eye so pale or prominent that it seemed to bulge or stare, and the fish was named from that adjective. Only later was "walleye" split off and treated as a noun in its own right, a process linguists call back-formation. The fish was named for its eyes, which are large and glassy and reflect light, rather than for any feature of the body. The word's history is therefore a matter of how the parts were made, not of any old fishing tradition. The eyes, not the body shape, gave the fish its name, which is the detail that surprises most people who have seen one up close. Because the name rests on the eye rather than on a Latin or Greek root, there is little older vocabulary behind it to trace.