arapaima

[ ar-uh-pahy-muh ]

noun

1. a large freshwater fish, Arapaima gigas, of Brazil and Guiana, reputed to reach a length of 15 feet (4.5 meters) and a weight of 500 pounds (225 kilograms).

arapaima

/ ˌærəˈpaɪmə /

noun

1. a very large primitive freshwater teleost fish, Arapaima gigas, that occurs in tropical South America and can attain a length of 4.5 m (15 ft) and a weight of 200 kg (440 lbs): family Osteoglossidae

Word History and Origins

Origin of arapaima¹

First recorded in 1830–40; from Portuguese, from Tupi

Word History and Origins

Origin of arapaima¹

via Portuguese from Tupi

Example Sentences

Thousands of miles away from the Amazon, down a hilly dirt road on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Nova Kaeru will process about 50,000 skins from legally-caught giant pirarucu or arapaima fish this year.

From Seattle Times

The region holds a long conflict between Indigenous tribes and poor fishermen hired to invade the Javari Valley to catch arapaima, turtles and game.

From Seattle Times

An example of good practice is fishing arapaima, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, in Brazil’s Amazon, co-chair of the report Jean-Marc Fromentin of France told the AP.

From Seattle Times

The region has seen a long conflict between Indigenous tribes and poor fishermen hired to invade the Javari Valley to catch arapaima, turtles and game.

From Washington Post

The region holds a long conflict between and Indigenous tribes and poor fishermen hired to invade the Javari Valley to catch arapaima, turtles and game.

From Seattle Times