bream

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /brɪm/ UK /briːm/ See IPA manual

Homophones

brim /ˈbrɪm/

Freq #31178

Meanings

1

noun
any of various deep-bodied freshwater fishes, especially the European common bream or North American sunfishes

A bream flashed its silvery side as the angler lifted it from the pond.
2

noun
any of various deep-bodied marine fishes, especially members of the sea-bream family Sparidae

The market sold whole bream packed on crushed ice.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · any of various deep-bodied... freshwater breamsunfish

2 noun · any of various deep-bodied... sea bream

Word family

Forms breams

Derived forms breamlikeseabream

Related forms common breamsunfishSparidaecyprinid

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

sea bream
a marine bream commonly eaten as fish

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English breme and Old French breme or bresme, borrowed from a Frankish word related to Dutch brasem and German Brasse. The Germanic fish name may ultimately be connected with a root meaning 'to shine,' a reference to the fish's bright scales. English later extended the common name to several unrelated freshwater and marine fishes.

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# bream

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /brɪm/
**IPA (UK):** /briːm/
**Frequency rank:** 31178

## Meanings
1. any of various deep-bodied freshwater fishes, especially the European common bream or North American sunfishes
2. any of various deep-bodied marine fishes, especially members of the sea-bream family Sparidae

## Examples
- A bream flashed its silvery side as the angler lifted it from the pond.
- The market sold whole bream packed on crushed ice.

## Synonyms
- freshwater bream
- sunfish
- sea bream

## Derived Forms
- breamlike
- seabream

## Related Forms
- common bream
- sunfish
- Sparidae
- cyprinid

## Etymology
From Middle English breme and Old French breme or bresme, borrowed from a Frankish word related to Dutch brasem and German Brasse. The Germanic fish name may ultimately be connected with a root meaning 'to shine,' a reference to the fish's bright scales. English later extended the common name to several unrelated freshwater and marine fishes.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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