salmon Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun any of various large food and game fishes of northern waters; usually migrate from salt to fresh water to spawn
noun a tributary of the Snake River in Idaho
Salmon River.
noun flesh of any of various marine or freshwater fish of the family Salmonidae
noun a pale pinkish orange color
adjective satellite of orange tinged with pink
pink-orange; pinkish-orange.

OE. saumoun, salmon, F. saumon, fr. L. salmo, salmonis perhaps from salire to leap. Cf. Sally, v.

plural Salmons or (collectively) Salmon

(Zoöl.) Any one of several species of fishes of the genus Salmo and allied genera. The common salmon (Salmo salar) of Northern Europe and Eastern North America, and the California salmon, or quinnat, are the most important species. They are extensively preserved for food. See Quinnat. ✍ The salmons ascend rivers and penetrate to their head streams to spawn. They are remarkably strong fishes, and will even leap over considerable falls which lie in the way of their progress. The common salmon has been known to grow to the weight of seventy-five pounds; more generally it is from fifteen to twenty-five pounds. Young salmon are called parr, peal, smolt, and grilse. Among the true salmons are: Black salmon, or Lake salmon, the namaycush. -- Dog salmon, a salmon of Western North America (Oncorhynchus keta). -- Humpbacked salmon, a Pacific-coast salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). -- King salmon, the quinnat. -- Landlocked salmon, a variety of the common salmon (var. Sebago), long confined in certain lakes in consequence of obstructions that prevented it from returning to the sea. This last is called also dwarf salmon. Among fishes of other families which are locally and erroneously called salmon are: the pike perch, called jack salmon; the spotted, or southern, squeteague; the cabrilla, called kelp salmon; young pollock, called sea salmon; and the California yellowtail.
A reddish yellow or orange color, like the flesh of the salmon.