1. any of various long, snakelike, scaleless marine or freshwater fishes of the order Anguilliformes or Apodes that lack pelvic fins and characteristically migrate from fresh water to salt water to spawn.
2. any of several similar fishes, such as the lamprey and electric eel.

1. any fish of the order Anguilliformes which are elongated and resemble snakes. there are freshwater and marine species.
2. the european eel, anguilla anguilla.
3. to fish for eels
4. to move with a sinuous motion like that of an eel

1. an elongated fish of many genera and species. the common eels of europe and america belong to the genus anguilla. the electrical eel is a species of Gymnotus. the so called vinegar eel is a minute nematode worm. see conger eel, electric eel, and gymnotus.

1. an elongated apodal fish of the family Anguillidæ and genus anguilla, of which there are several species.
2. any fish of the order Apodes or Symbranchii, of which there are many families and several hundred species.
3. some fish resembling or likened to an eel; an anguilliform fish.
4. some small nematoid or threadworm, as of the family Anguillulidæ, found in vinegar, sour paste, etc. see vinegar-eel, and cut under Nematoidea.
5. hence— A rope's end; a flogging.
6. leptocephalus wilsoni of australia.
7. Congromuræna habenata of new Zealand.

1. voracious snakelike marine or freshwater fishes with smooth slimy usually scaleless skin and having a continuous vertical fin but no ventral fins
2. the fatty flesh of eel; an elongate fish found in fresh water in europe and america; large eels are usually smoked or pickled