loach

noun

ˈlōch 

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

Example Sentences

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 | [e-mail], 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

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English loche, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above