rainbow darter

noun

1. a stout darter, Etheostoma caeruleum, inhabiting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River drainages, the spawning male of which has the sides marked with oblique blue bars with red interspaces.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rainbow darter¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

Although so abundant and so brilliant in the springtime, the rainbow darter is known to few but naturalists.

From Project Gutenberg