Etymology From Middle English el (“eel”), from Old English ǣl (“eel”), from Proto-West Germanic *āl (“eel”), from Proto-Germanic *ēlaz (“eel”), which is of unknown origin. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian iel (“eel”), Dutch aal (“eel”), German Low German Aal, Ool (“eel”), German Aal (“eel”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish ål (“eel”), Faroese állur, álur (“eel”), Icelandic áll (“eel”).
Any freshwater fish of the order Anguilliformes, which are elongated and resemble snakes.
Off the United States, the National Marine Fisheries Service is helping industry explore fisheries for deep shrimp, rattails, chimeras, orange roughy, smoothheads, slackjaw eels, blue hake, skates and dogfish, which the National Fisheries Institute, an industry group, in an effort to improve their marketability, has renamed cape shark.1995 December 26, William J. Broad, “Creatures of the Deep Find Their Way to the Table”, in The New York Times:
2
A European eel (Anguilla anguilla).
› Various other animals that resemble true… › Other ray-finned fishes:
3
An electric eel (any knifefish of the genus Electrophorus)
› Various other animals that resemble true… › Other ray-finned fishes: › In the order Synbranchiformes:
4
A swamp eel (any fish in the family Synbranchidae).
5
An earthworm eel, also called the spineless eel (any fish in the family Chaudhuriidae).
6
A spiny eel (any fish in the family Mastacembelidae).
› Various other animals that resemble true… › Other ray-finned fishes:
7
A deep-sea spiny eel (any fish in the family Notacanthidae).
› Various other animals that resemble true… › Certain amphibians:
8
A conger eel, also called the Congo eel, amphiuma, and Congo snake (any salamander of the genus Amphiuma).
9
A two-legged eel, also called the mud eel and lesser siren, Siren intermedia.
10
A leopard eel, also called the leopard siren and reticulated siren, Siren reticulata.
11
A rubber eel, Typhlonectes natans.
› Various other animals that resemble true…
12
A vinegar eel, a roundworm of species Turbatrix aceti.
13
Someone or something that is sneaky and/or hard to catch.
That Dennis is a right eel, he always seems to slip away from the scene at the right time.
His expression when incredulous. "Why would you think that?" He was a slippery little eel.2003, Catherine Anderson, Only by Your Touch:
2 more examples
Philosophers and literary critics from ancient times, along with social scientists, physicians, theologians, and biblical scholars more recently, have tried to get a tentative handle, if not a firm grasp, on this "slippery eel" of humor and laughter.2004, F. Scott Spencer, Dancing Girls, Loose Ladies, and Women of the Cloth, page 26:
John scowled after the dog. "Never fear, my lady. I shall get the sneaky, slippery eel yet."2016, Jody Hedlund, Newton and Polly: A Novel of Amazing Grace, page 131:
Etymology From Middle English el (“eel”), from Old English ǣl (“eel”), from Proto-West Germanic *āl (“eel”), from Proto-Germanic *ēlaz (“eel”), which is of unknown origin. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian iel (“eel”), Dutch aal (“eel”), German Low German Aal, Ool (“eel”), German Aal (“eel”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish ål (“eel”), Faroese állur, álur (“eel”), Icelandic áll (“eel”).
1
To fish for eels.
2
To move with a sinuous motion like that of an eel.