Nile Perch
/naɪl pɜːrtʃ/noun
A large freshwater fish, Lates niloticus, native to much of Africa and named for the Nile River.
Did you know?Although native to the Nile basin and other African waters, Nile perch introduced into Lake Victoria helped drive hundreds of endemic cichlid species toward extinction.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian
iteru
“River; a term associated with the Nile and often interpreted as “great river””
Ancient Greek
Greek
Neilos
“The Nile River, adopted from an Egyptian name”
Ancient Latin
Latin
Nilus
“The Nile River”
Ancient Greek
Greek
perkē
“Perch, a spotted freshwater fish”
Classical Latin
Latin
perca
“Perch; a fish name borrowed from Greek”
Old English to Middle English
English
perche
“Perch, the fish; from Old French and Latin forms”
Modern English
English
Nile perch
“The large African freshwater fish Lates niloticus, literally named as a perch associated with the Nile”