loach

noun

: any of a family (Cobitidae) of small Old World freshwater fishes related to the carps

Examples of loach in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For example, one of the species reported in the contest, the oriental weather fish or dojo loach, is a freshwater fish introduced from Asia. Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 30 Nov. 2022 For nearly five decades, ichthyologists — zoologists focused on fish — have been searching for the loach. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2021 There are at least 18 species in the watershed that are listed as threatened or endangered, including eight native fish species, such as loach minnows and razorback suckers. Ian James, AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2021 He was fascinated by the park’s large ornamental pond wriggling with goldfish, mosquitofish, and loaches. Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, 8 Jan. 2018 As Andy Coghlan explains in The New Scientist, the cave loach seems to have diverged from surface fish some 20,000 years ago, when receding ice age glaciers made the Danube-Aach caves accessible. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 5 Apr. 2017 Once divers had caught several elusive cave loaches, researchers were able to conduct detailed genetic analyses. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 5 Apr. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English loche, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of loach was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near loach

Cite this Entry

“Loach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loach. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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