elver

noun

el·​ver ˈel-vər How to pronounce elver (audio)
: a young eel
specifically : a small immature catadromous eel chiefly of fresh and brackish water

Examples of elver in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Catching the elvers is difficult and involves setting up large nets in Maine’s cold rivers and streams at pre-dawn hours. Patrick Whittle, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Catching the elvers is difficult and involves setting up large nets in Maine's cold rivers and streams at pre-dawn hours. Patrick Whittle, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 The eel fishing season happens every spring and Maine is the only U.S. state with a significant, legal fishery for elvers. Patrick Whittle, Quartz, 5 Feb. 2024 The elvers have again been worth more than $2,000 per pound at the docks this year, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Patrick Whittle, BostonGlobe.com, 30 May 2023 Maine’s Department of Marine Resources allows for a total of 425 elver fishing licenses each year. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 17 Apr. 2023 Priya Shukla Rademaker says growing eels in Maine is more sustainable on all sorts of levels: from the use the fuel to transport elvers overseas to awareness about the crazy journey the fish make from overseas farms to U.S. consumers. Jeff Kart, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 Canadian elvers are currently worth about $2,000 per pound. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 17 Apr. 2023 In Sweden, they might be smoked, braised in beer, or fried in butter; in Italy, boiled in tomato sauce; in England, jellied in stock, or fried with eggs into an elver cake. Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 18 May 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elver.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of eelfare migration of eels

First Known Use

circa 1640, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of elver was circa 1640

Dictionary Entries Near elver

Cite this Entry

“Elver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elver. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

elver

noun
el·​ver ˈel-vər How to pronounce elver (audio)
: a young eel

More from Merriam-Webster on elver

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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