lamprey

noun

lam·prey | \ ˈlam-prē ,

-ˌprā \

plural lampreys

Definition of lamprey

: any of a family (Petromyzontidae) of eel-shaped freshwater or anadromous jawless fishes that include those cyclostomes having well-developed eyes and a large disk-shaped suctorial mouth armed with horny teeth

— called also lamprey eel

Examples of lamprey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Failure to detect and subsequently eliminate larvae allows the lampreys to transform into parasitic adults and kill Great Lakes fish. — Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, "Scientists on the hunt for blood-sucking sea lampreys in metro Detroit," 22 May 2018 Scientists have come to understand the instinctual part of our brain in part by studying lampreys. — Nick Heil, Outside Online, "Blame Your Junk Food Cravings on Your Unhealthy Brain," 3 July 2018 In 2015, the agency sent crews to inspect the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair for lampreys. — Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, "Scientists on the hunt for blood-sucking sea lampreys in metro Detroit," 22 May 2018 This may help the lake steelheads recover from parasitic lampreys, which are widespread in that fresh water. — Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "This saltwater trout evolved to live in fresh water—in just 100 years," 1 June 2018 Sturgeon fishing remains excellent with salmon roe or lamprey eel in Suisun Bay for the few guides still working the area. — sacbee, "Fishing line: Striper action takes off near Colusa and on Feather River | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Apr. 2018 The only ones known that are so endowed are the lampreys. — The Economist, "Three-eyed lizards are not uncommon. Four-eyed ones are a novelty," 5 Apr. 2018 So Holmes and his colleagues looked at nearly 190 creatures in other vertebrate classes — from jawless fish such as lampreys, which have changed little from their evolutionary ancestors, to reptiles such as turtles. — Giorgia Guglielmi, Scientific American, "Huge Trove of Unknown Viruses Found in Fish, Frogs and Reptiles," 5 Apr. 2018 Sea lampreys have several traits that other (jawed) vertebrates do not, suggesting that these traits either (a) were present in our last shared ancestor and lost by us or (b) arose since lampreys diverged from the jawed vertebrate lineage. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Odd vertebrate gets rid of hundreds of genes early in development," 28 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lamprey.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.