Wrasse
/ræs/noun
A marine fish of the family Labridae, often brightly colored and common in rocky coastal waters.
Did you know?The word is probably borrowed from a Cornish term such as wragh, possibly linked to Welsh gwrach, meaning “hag” or “witch,” though the connection remains uncertain rather than proven.
Etymological Timeline
Early Celtic
Celtic
*wragā?
“A proposed ancestral form associated with a hag or old woman; reconstruction is uncertain.”
Medieval Welsh
Welsh
gwrach
“A hag, witch, or frightening old woman.”
Early Modern Cornish
Cornish
wragh
“A term possibly referring to a hag or old woman; proposed source of the fish name.”
17th Century
English
wrasse
“The name of a marine fish, borrowed through southwestern British usage.”
Modern English
English
wrasse
“A marine fish of the family Labridae.”