salmon
Meaning
A large silver-coloured fish with pink flesh that lives in the sea and rivers and is eaten as food.
Usage
We grilled the salmon with a lemon and dill sauce.
The salmon return to their natal river to spawn.
Wild Pacific salmon is a prized catch for many fishermen.
Etymology
The word 'salmon' entered English in the early 13th century from the Anglo-Norman French 'saumoun'. This, in turn, derived from Latin 'salmo' (genitive 'salmonis'), a word likely of pre-Latin origin. The Latin term is thought to be related to the verb 'salire', meaning 'to leap', poetically referencing the fish's characteristic leaping motion when swimming upstream to spawn. The silent 'l' in the English spelling, present from the earliest records, reflects its path through French and Latin, though the pronunciation has long since simplified.
Analysis
The word 'salmon' is a simplex loanword from Anglo-Norman French. It does not contain separable morphemes in modern English.