Etymology From Middle English sturgiun, sturjoun, from Old French estorjoun (“sturgeon”), from Frankish *sturjō, from Proto-Germanic *sturjô (“sturgeon”).
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Any marine or freshwater fish of the family Acipenseridae that are prized for their roe and are endemic to temperate seas and rivers of the northern hemisphere, especially central Eurasia.
The old prince sat in silence, his bright little eyes watching Karenin from one side, and Stepan Arkadyevitch saw that he had already formed a phrase to sum up that politician of whom guests were invited to partake as though he were a sturgeon.1901 [1878], chapter 9, in Constance Garnett, transl., Anna Karenina, translation of Анна Каренина (Anna Karenina) by Leo Tolstoy, part 4:
The sturgeon is considered to be rich in aphrodisiac elements.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 229:
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An investigation has been carried out into the changes in blood chemistry which occur during the migration of young sturgeon and spawned adults from freshwater into saltwater and of the migration of prespawning adults in the reverse direction by Magnin (1962).1961, W. N. Holmes, Edward M. Donaldson, “1: Body Compartments and the Distribution of Electrolytes”, in William Stewart Hoar, David J. Randall, editors, Fish Physiology, volume 1, page 57:
1997, M. L. Khrykhtin, V. G. Svirsky, Sturgeon catch and the current status of sturgeon stocks in the Amur River, Andreas Bauer, Astrid Kaiser-Pohlmann, Sturgeon Stocks and Caviar Trade Workshop: Proceedings, page 29, Strict regulation of the catch was introduced in the Soviet Union in 1976 in order to prevent overfishing of the sexually mature sturgeons in the river.
Long and snout-nosed with rows of platelike bony protrusions, sturgeon have a dinosaur-era look.2002, Elizabeth Grossman, Watershed: The Undamming of America, page 41:
Information on the spawning period, spawning behavior, and other details of the reproductive biology of green sturgeon in the Columbia River is lacking (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 1995).2006, Richard N. Williams, James A. Lichatowich, Madison S. Powell, “4: The Diversity, Structure and Status of Populations”, in Richard N. Williams, editor, Return to the River: Restoring Salmon Back to the Columbia River, page 156:
Etymology * (surname): * (submarine): Named after the fish, the sturgeon. The first boat of the class was the USS Sturgeon (SSN-637), the Sturgeon-class was named after the lead boat. The boats of the class are referred to by the class name.