darter

American  

[dahr-ter] / ˈdɑr tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that darts or moves swiftly.

2. anhinga.

3. any of several small, darting, freshwater fishes of the perch family, inhabiting streams of eastern North America.

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darter British  

/ ˈdɑːtə /

noun

1. Also called: anhinga.   snakebird.  any aquatic bird of the genus Anhinga and family Anhingidae, of tropical and subtropical inland waters, having a long slender neck and bill: order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc)

2. any small brightly coloured North American freshwater fish of the genus Etheostoma and related genera: family Percidae (perches)

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Etymology

Origin of darter

First recorded in 1555–65; dart + -er ¹

Example Sentences

It involved the snail darter, a tiny, then-endangered fish whose habitat would have been harmed by the proposed Tellico Dam in Tennessee.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

The nine darter put Littler 6-5 up but Cross pushed him all the way and the teenager took victory with a 103.76 average in the final.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2024

Freshwater fanshell mussels rely on darter fish, including the tangerine and Roanoke, for their survival.

From National Geographic • Dec. 12, 2023

As I watched, he photographed a striated darter that didn't yet have a name, a Yellow Bass, an Orangefin Shiner and a giant crayfish discovered in 2011 in the very creek we were at.

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2023

They trudged past darter birds on the tops of trees, drying their sodden wings spread out like laundry against the sky.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy