grilse

noun

plural grilse
: a young Atlantic salmon returning to its native river to spawn for the first time after one winter at sea
broadly : any of various salmon at such a stage of development

Examples of grilse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The group says young salmon who spent only one winter at sea before returning to the river, called grilse, fared especially poorly last year. Patrick Whittle, The Seattle Times, 18 June 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English grills

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grilse was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near grilse

Cite this Entry

“Grilse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grilse. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!