Mrigal
/ˈmrɪɡəl/noun
A freshwater carp native to South Asia, especially Cirrhinus mrigala, widely raised in aquaculture.
Did you know?The species name *mrigala* preserves the fish’s South Asian vernacular and Sanskrit naming tradition, while the mrigal became one of the three major Indian carps used in polyculture.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
mṛgāla
“A name for a kind of fish; the precise internal derivation is uncertain.”
Medieval and early modern South Asia
Indo-Aryan languages
mrigal / mrigel
“Regional names for the freshwater carp.”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
Cirrhinus mrigala
“The zoological name assigned to the species now commonly called mrigal carp.”
19th–20th Century
English
mrigal
“An English fisheries and aquaculture term for the South Asian carp.”
Modern English
English
mrigal carp
“The standard common name for the species and, more broadly, the cultivated fish.”
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