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DictionarymorayTropical eel
noun

moray

MOR-ay/ˈmɔːreɪ/

A tropical eel with strong jaws and a snakelike body.

A moray waits in a reef crevice with its jaws open.

A single moray eel curves out of a small tropical reef crevice, with its long fin-edged body and open, sharp-toothed jaws clearly visible.
Etymology
morayGreeksea eel

Greek smyros named a sea eel, and that animal reference survives in English. Today moray names the long, sharp-toothed eels found in warm seas.

In context

Leslie Guzman42:04
this king snake moves in a Meandering pattern and so does the Moray eel of a Caribbean coral reef
Shapes in Nature | Old Documentary | Natural Forms, Patterns, Shapes | Seashells, Plants & Animals

More examples

  • We spot two morays among the rocks during our dive.
  • The moray's long body disappears into a narrow crack.
  • A moray uses its strong jaws to grab passing prey.

Forms

moray · morays

Similar words

eel
Eel names the broader group, not specifically tropical morays.