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Added 9 October 2026

parr

/pɑː(ɹ)/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about parr at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Young salmon, at a stage between fry and smolt when they feed chiefly on invertebrates but cannot tolerate saltwater.

Origin

Compare Scottish Gaelic bradan (“salmon”). For the salmon life stage, the word originates from the Middle English parren (“to enclose”), referring to the spots running along the side of the fish, resembling the bars of a fence.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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