Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

remora

/ɹiˈmɔɹə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.86 in modern English

Syllables
re-mo-ra
IPA
/ɹiˈmɔɹə/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various elongate fish from the family Echeneidae, the dorsal fin of which is in the form of a suction disc that can take a firm hold against the skin of larger marine animals.

noun

A serpent.

noun

A delay; a hindrance, an obstacle.

Obsolete

noun

A surgical instrument, intended to retain parts in their places.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin remora (“delay, hindrance, passive resistance”), from the belief that the fish would attach themselves to ships and slow them down, from re- (prefix meaning ‘back, backwards’) + mora (“delay”) (from Proto-Indo-European *mere (“to delay, hinder”), from *(s)mer- (“to fall into thinking, remember; to care for”)).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɹiˈmɔɹə/
  • British English: /ɹɪˈmɔːɹə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce remora?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɹiˈmɔɹə/.
What does remora mean?
Any of various elongate fish from the family Echeneidae, the dorsal fin of which is in the form of a suction disc that can take a firm hold against the skin of larger marine animals.
Where does remora come from?
It is traced to Proto-Indo-European.

How to pronounce remora

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