Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lamprey

/ˈlæm.pɹi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.28 in modern English

Syllables
lam-prey
IPA
/ˈlæm.pɹi/
14
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any long slender primitive eel-like freshwater and saltwater fish of the order Petromyzontiformes, having a sucking mouth with rasping teeth but no jaw.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From Middle English laumprei, from Old French lampreie (modern French lamproie), from Medieval Latin lampreda, possibly alteration of Late Latin lampetra (“lamprey”), whose further origin is unknown, though it is traditionally thought to be a combination of lambō (“to lick, lap”) + petra (“stone, rock”). Doublet of limpet, which derives from Latin.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: laumprei, lampreie, lampreda, lampetra

Usage

Inflected Forms

lampreys (plural)

Derived Forms

lampricide

Phrases

Arctic lamprey brook lamprey European river lamprey Pacific lamprey pouched lamprey river lamprey sea lamprey southern lamprey

Synonyms

lamprey eel lamper eel

Questions

How do you pronounce lamprey?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlæm.pɹi/.
What does lamprey mean?
Any long slender primitive eel-like freshwater and saltwater fish of the order Petromyzontiformes, having a sucking mouth with rasping teeth but no jaw.
Where does lamprey come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lamprey

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lamprey”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlæm.pɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lamprey”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lamprey” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.