noun
milt
MILT/mɪlt/
The sperm-containing fluid of a male fish.
The male salmon releases milt into the water during spawning.
Etymology
Old English milte named the spleen. The word later acquired the specialized meaning of fish sperm; the supplied history does not explain the connection between these senses.
In context
…the milt from the male and the eggs from the female.
artificially help those fish. We're going to take the eggs and milt from the fish.
More examples
- At the hatchery, workers mix milt with freshly collected eggs.
- The biologist checks the milt for healthy, active sperm.
- Frozen milt allows breeders to fertilize fish eggs later.
Forms
milt
Similar words
- semen
- A broader term for sperm-containing fluid in male animals.