Dictionary

lampern en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈlæmpəɹn/

Etymology

From Middle English laumproun, adopted from Old French lampreon, diminutive of lampreie (“lamprey”).

Meanings

1. European river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis).
   • […]if thou woldest an eel or a laumprun holde with streite hondis, how myche strengerli thou thristis, so myche the sunnere it shal sliden awey. 1382, Wyclif's Bible, prologue to Job, page 671:
   • LAmprayes or Lampurnes bee partly of the nature of Eeles[…]. 1589, Thomas Coghan, Haven of Health, published 1636, page 165:
   • Lampetra fluviatilis (the lampern or river lamprey) undergoes a spawning migration in British rivers during the period between November and February, after which the animals spend from 4 to 6 months in fresh water prior to spawning. 1956, R. Morris, “The Osmoregulatory Ability of the Lampern (Lampetra fluviatilis L.) in Sea Water during the Course of Its Spawning Migration”, in Journal of Experimental Biology, volume 33, page 235:
   • The Lampern, Lampetra fluviatilis, is white, with greenish back; it reaches a length of sixteen inches. 1936, Charles Tate Regan, Natural History, Ward Lock, page 194:
   • The Lampern is called Petromyzon Fluviatilis, becauſe this fiſh at certain ſeaſons goes to the ſea. 1799, John Price, The Worcester Guide, page 55:

Forms