HOW TO PRONOUNCE
eel
/il/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does eel mean?
noun
- Any freshwater fish of the order Anguilliformes, which are elongated and resemble snakes.
- A European eel (Anguilla anguilla).
- An electric eel (any knifefish of the genus Electrophorus)
More meanings (13)
noun
- A swamp eel (any fish in the family Synbranchidae).
- An earthworm eel, also called the spineless eel (any fish in the family Chaudhuriidae).
- A spiny eel (any fish in the family Mastacembelidae).
- A deep-sea spiny eel (any fish in the family Notacanthidae).
- A conger eel, also called the Congo eel, amphiuma, and Congo snake (any salamander of the genus Amphiuma).
- A two-legged eel, also called the mud eel and lesser siren, Siren intermedia.
- A leopard eel, also called the leopard siren and reticulated siren, Siren reticulata.
- A rubber eel, Typhlonectes natans.
- A vinegar eel, a roundworm of species Turbatrix aceti.
- Someone or something that is sneaky and/or hard to catch.
verb
- To fish for eels.
- To move with a sinuous motion like that of an eel.
proper noun
- A township in Cass County, Indiana, United States, probably named after the Eel River.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/il/
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
The morn when first it thunders in March, The eel in the pond gives a leap, they say.
And the eel had twisted itself round the eagle, and the eagle had covered her eyes with the black films of death.
More book examples (3)
The presence of a nematode or eel worm on the roots has found to be a cause of mottle leaf in many cases.
“No, you are not bad. You are a dear. But as slippery as an eel when I want to get a confession from you.”
But even as they were in the act of falling, Marcus, like a very eel, writhed in the dentist's clasp and fell upon his side.