grunion
Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
grun·ion
(grŭn′yən)n.
A small fish (Leuresthes tenuis) of coastal waters of California and Mexico that spawns at night along beaches during the high tides of spring and summer.
[Perhaps from Spanish gruñón, grumbler, from gruñir, to grumble, grunt, from Latin grunnīre, grundīre, to grunt.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
grunion
(ˈɡrʌnjən)n
(Animals) a Californian marine teleost fish, Leuresthes tenuis, that spawns on beaches: family Atherinidae (silversides)
[C20: probably from Spanish gruñón a grunter]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
grun•ion
(ˈgrʌn yən)n.
a small silversides, Leuresthes tenuis, that lays its eggs on S California beaches.
[1915–20; probably < Sp gruñon grunter, derivative of gruñir to grunt < Latin grunnīre]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Translations
grunion