angler

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who catches fish with a rod, hook, and line, especially for recreation

   The angler cast a fly into the quiet pool beneath the bridge.

2. 2
   noun

   an anglerfish, especially a monkfish whose head bears a lure used to attract prey

   The deep-sea angler waved its luminous lure in the darkness.

A Middle English agent noun from angle ("to fish with a hook") + -er. The verb angle comes from Old English angel ("fishhook"), related to a Germanic family of words for hooks and ultimately to an Indo-European root meaning "to bend." The fish sense arose from its lure-like appendage.

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