Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A small fish (Leuresthes tenuis) of coastal waters of California and Mexico that spawns at night along beaches during the high tides of spring and summer.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Either of two small
fish , of the genus Leuresthes, found along the coast ofMexico and southernCalifornia , thatspawn in the wet sand at certain high tides.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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A grunion is a small, sardinelike fish that lays its eggs on dry sand on certain full moon cycles each year.
Full Frontal Nudity Harry Hamlin 2010
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Those mosh-pit women clot like those spawning fish called grunion, I said.
Dancing with Werewolves Carole Nelson Douglas 2009
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Those mosh-pit women clot like those spawning fish called grunion, I said.
Dancing with Werewolves Carole Nelson Douglas 2009
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Those mosh-pit women clot like those spawning fish called grunion, I said.
Dancing with Werewolves Carole Nelson Douglas 2009
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It is the story of the education, along with a few other of her shared memories of little things, that have brought my mother and Fitzgerald together alive for me: Fitzgerald looking at her “with such love,” with his head cocked to one side, the two of them lying at opposite ends of a sofa with their shoes and socks off and massaging one another's toes, the two of them at Malibu scooping into buckets the tiny fish called grunion that come onto the beach at night to spawn.
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At first I thought it was the combination of sand and salt from my romp in the ocean with the grunion, but soon I came to realize the worst.
Full Frontal Nudity Harry Hamlin 2010
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The grunion is and was a protected fish, and catching them by hand as they lay their eggs is not only cruel and stupid but also illegal.
Full Frontal Nudity Harry Hamlin 2010
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When the grunion “run” they seemingly run up the beach on their tails, lay their eggs, and then flop back down to the water to ride a wave out to sea.
Full Frontal Nudity Harry Hamlin 2010
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He told me that catching grunion by hand was illegal and that he was having the same conversation with all the boys.
Full Frontal Nudity Harry Hamlin 2010
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We used to go watch the grunion run up on the beach and flop around in the moonlight by the thousands.
Go Name Yourself Editorial Anonymous 2009
treeseed commented on the word grunion
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
noun
Etymology: probably from Spanish gruñón grunter
Date: 1917
: a silverside (Leuresthes tenuis) of the California coast notable for the regularity with which it comes inshore to spawn at nearly full moon
As a child growing up in California I remember the "grunion run" when crowds of people would assemble on the beach in the moonlight and scoop up dozens and dozens of the grunion fish as they came inshore to spawn. In those days I thought it was quite a fun and festive time but now it seems unfair and cruel.
February 4, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word grunion
I learned this word from watching a Disney Sing-along video my spawn had years ago.
April 9, 2008
sionnach commented on the word grunion
Tiny (3- to 6-ounce) fish found along the Southern California coast, known for their spawning habits. The "running of the grunion" occurs by the light of the full moon as these silvery fish wriggle their way above high tide to spawn in the wet sand. Legally, grunion can only be caught by hand, though many people snare them with nets or scoops. The moderately fat grunion are best broiled, deep-fried or sautéed
July 13, 2009