walleye

[ wawl-ahy ]

noun

, plural wall·eyes, wall·eye.

1. Also called walleyed pike, jack salmon. a large game fish, Stizostedion vitreum, inhabiting the lakes and rivers of northeastern North America; pikeperch.
2. any of various other fishes having large, staring eyes.
3. an eye characteristic of a walleyed person or animal.
4. Walleye, Military. a series of television-guided bombs with high-explosive warheads, in production since the 1960s.

walleye

/ ˈwɔːlˌaɪ /

noun

1. a divergent squint
2. opacity of the cornea
3. an eye having a white or light-coloured iris
4. (in some collies) an eye that is particoloured white and blue
5. Also calledwalleyed pike a North American pikeperch, Stizostedion vitreum, valued as a food and game fish
6. any of various other fishes having large staring eyes

Derived Forms

• ˈwallˌeyed, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of walleye¹

First recorded in 1515–25; back formation from walleyed

Word History and Origins

Origin of walleye¹

back formation from earlier walleyed, from Old Norse vagleygr, from vage, perhaps: a film over the eye (compare Swedish vagel sty in the eye) + -eygr -eyed, from auga eye; modern form influenced by wall

Example Sentences

Nearly 30,000 Chinook salmon were wasted as bycatch in the Canadian trawl fishery, which was targeting hake and walleye pollock, a new report from Canadian fisheries officials found.

From Seattle Times

The sky was blue and the waters flat and calm, perfect conditions for them to explore the shallows of the bay and look for walleyes, large-eyed game fish common in Lake Michigan.

From New York Times

Fish fry features regionally appropriate walleye, the mild flesh encased in a Ritz-cracker crust that behaves like a darker version of panko.

From Seattle Times

A 14-year-old Minnesota boy was out fishing for walleye on the state’s Lake of the Woods when he dredged up something else — a wallet containing $2,000 in wet, mossy cash.

From Washington Times

In 2016, the Toronto Star reported that mercury levels in walleye fish in Clay Lake were 90 times higher than the recommended levels of daily intake for pregnant women set by the U.S.

From Salon