parr

P3A1R1R1
/pɑː(ɹ)/

noun

Young salmon, at a stage between fry and smolt when they feed chiefly on invertebrates but cannot tolerate saltwater.

OriginMiddle English parren →
Less commonScrabble 6
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Meanings

parr1

nounparr (countable and uncountable, plural parrs or parr)

plural parrs

  1. countableuncountableYoung salmon, at a stage between fry and smolt when they feed chiefly on invertebrates but cannot tolerate saltwater.

Parr2

proper noun
  1. A surname.
  2. A suburb, ward and historic township in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England (OS grid ref SJ5395).
  3. An unincorporated community in Union Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States.
  4. An unincorporated community in Botetourt County, Virginia, United States.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishparren“to enclose”
  2. Englishparr

Compare Scottish Gaelic bradan (“salmon”). For the salmon life stage, the word originates from the Middle English parren (“to enclose”), referring to the spots running along the side of the fish, resembling the bars of a fence.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech strdlice
  • strdliceyoung salmon
Finnish jokipoikanen
  • jokipoikanenyoung salmon
French tacon, saumoneau
  • taconyoung salmon
  • saumoneauyoung salmon
Scottish Gaelic gille-ruadh
  • gille-ruadhyoung salmon

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with parr

areourtheirrcarstarmarfarbarguitarvaravatarcharpartarQatarMyanmarjarcigarcarrnoirharomardar
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

parParrpa (non-rhotic)
Cite this entry
APA

parr. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parr

MLA

“parr.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parr. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “parr,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parr.

Source: parr on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.