tarpon
tarpon Lexical Profile
tarpon Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A large, silver-scaled marine and coastal fish of the genus Megalops (family Megalopidae), native to warm Atlantic and Indo-Pacific waters and prized as a powerful, leaping game fish.
"Anglers flock to the shallow flats of the Florida Keys each spring hoping to hook a giant tarpon."
The bony flesh or roe of this fish when prepared as food in certain coastal cuisines of Latin America and the Caribbean.
"Although rarely eaten in North America due to its numerous small bones, tarpon is occasionally flaked and seasoned in traditional coastal dishes."
• Rhymes for tarpon
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the late 17th century, probably borrowed from Dutch tarpoen, which is thought to derive from an indigenous Caribbean or Tupi-Guarani language.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.