remora









remora


noun

  1. any of several fishes of the family Echeneididae, having on the top of the head a sucking disk by which they can attach themselves to sharks, turtles, ships, and other moving objects.
  2. Archaic. an obstacle, hindrance, or obstruction.

noun

  1. any of the marine spiny-finned fishes constituting the family Echeneidae . They have a flattened elongated body and attach themselves to larger fish, rocks, etc, by a sucking disc on the top of the head
n.

1560s, from Latin remora “sucking fish,” literally “delay, hindrance,” from re- “back” (see re-) + mora “delay” (see moratorium); so called because the fish were believed by the ancients to retard a vessel to which they attached themselves. Hence, in 17c.-18c., “an obstacle, an impediment” (the first sense of the word in Johnson’s dictionary). In Greek, ekheneis, from ekhein “to hold” + naus (dative nei) “ship.” Pliny writes that Antony’s galley was delayed by one at Actium. Sometimes called in English stayship or stopship.

52 queries 0.615