bream

¹bream

noun \ˈbrim, ˈbrēm\

plural bream or breams

Definition of BREAM

1

: a bronze-colored European freshwater cyprinid fish (Abramis brama); broadly : any of various related fishes

2

a : any of various marine fish (family Sparidae) related to the porgy —called also sea bream

b : any of various freshwater sunfishes (Lepomis and related genera); especially : bluegill

Origin of BREAM

Middle English breme, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German brahsima bream, Middle High German brehen to shine

First Known Use: 14th century

Other Fishes Terms

char, chum, ichthyology, smelt, tetra, turbot

Rhymes with BREAM

beam, cream, deem, deme, dream, gleam, meme, neem, Nîmes, ream, scheme, scream, seam, seem, seme, steam, stream, team, teem, theme

²bream

transitive verb \ˈbrēm\

Definition of BREAM

: to clean (a ship's bottom) by heating and scraping

Origin of BREAM

probably from Dutch brem furze; from the use of burning furze in the cleaning

First Known Use: 1626

Other Nautical Terms

avast, aweigh, flotsam, jib, keel, lee, port, starboard, stay

bream

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Bream (Abramis brama)—W.S. Pitt—Eric Hosking

European food and game fish (Abramis brama) of the carp family (Cyprinidae). Found in lakes and slow rivers, the bream lives in schools and eats worms, mollusks, and other small animals. Deep-bodied, with flat sides and a small head, it is silvery with a bluish or brown back. It is usually about 12–20 in. (30–50 cm) long and weighs up to 13 lbs (6 kg). Other species called bream include the silver bream (Blicca bjoorkna), the golden shiner, and the sea breams (family Sparidae).