Meanings
- uncommonA hagfish, an eel-like marine fish, Myxine glutinosa.
3. Myxine glutinosa ["slepmark" or "pirål" in Norwegian], which Gunnerus has dissected himself, and where he had clearly observed the difference between the sexes. [The article published by Gunnerus was, "Om sleep-marken"].
1762 October 9, Johan Ernst Gunnerus, “Letter addressed to Carl Linnaeus”, in The Linnaean Correspondence, retrieved 04 Jan 20181 more example
Linné discussed the strange “lamprey” with Norwegian Bishop and naturalist Johan Ernst Gunnerus and they both classified it as a worm. In 1763, Gunnerus wrote about the creature and he then referred to it as a Sleep-Marken.
2011 December 19, Jancuk Jaran, “Hagfish”, in All Animals, retrieved 04 Jan 2018
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Unknown. Likely from Norwegian slepe (“drag”) + mark (“worm”). Attested from circa 1762; see quotations below.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
sleepmarken. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleepmarken
“sleepmarken.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleepmarken. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sleepmarken,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleepmarken.
Source: sleepmarken on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.