bream

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of several European freshwater fishes of the genus Abramis, especially A. brama, having a flattened body and silvery scales.
2. n. A similar fish, especially:
3. n. Any one of various saltwater fishes in the family Sparidae, such as the porgy.
4. n. Any one of various freshwater sunfishes of the genus Lepomis and related genera, such as the bluegill.
5. v. Nautical To clean (a wooden ship's hull) by applying heat to soften the pitch and then scraping.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A fish of the family Cyprinidæ, Abramis brama, common in the fresh waters of Europe. It has a compressed and rather deep body, a short obtuse snout, small and somewhat inferior mouth, uniserial pharyngeal teeth, the dorsal fin of about 12 rays, and the anal fin with 26 to 31 rays co under the last of the dorsal's. It sometimes attains a weight of 12 to 14 pounds. The flesh is insipid and little esteemed. Also called yellow bream. See Abramis.
2. n. A cyprinoid fish related to the preceding, as for example the white bream or breamflat, or resembling it in having a deep body, as the carp-bream, Carassias gibelio, a variety of the crucian-carp.
3. n. A name given to various Sparidœ, more fully called sea-breams: in England, for example, to species of Sparus, Pagrus, Pagellus, and Cantharus, and in the United States to Diplodus holbrooki, the pinfish, and to Lagodon rhomboides, the sailor's-choice. See cut under Lagodon.
4. n. A fish of the family Bramidæ, as Ray's bream, Brama rayi.
5. n. In some parts of the United States, a centrarchoid fish, such as the common sunfish, Eupomotis gibbosus, and various species of the related genus Lepomis, as the blue bream, Lepomis pallidus.
6. Nautical, to clear, as a ship's bottom, of shells, seaweed, ooze, etc., by applying to it kindled furze, reeds, or other light combustibles, so as to soften the pitch and loosen the adherent matters, which may then be easily swept off. Also called broom.
7. n. Same as breeze.
8. n. Girella tricuspidata, of the family Kyphosidæ.
9. n. Same as white bream .

Wiktionary

1. v. nautical To clean (e.g. a ship's bottom of clinging shells, seaweed, etc.) by the application of fire and scraping.
2. n. A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the genus Abramis, little valued as food. Several species are known.
3. n. UK A species in that genus, Abramis brama.
4. n. An American fresh-water fish, of various species of Pomotis and allied genera, which are also called sunfishes and pondfishes.
5. n. A marine sparoid fish of the genus Pagellus, and allied genera. See sea bream.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl) A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the genus Abramis, little valued as food. Several species are known.
2. n. (Zoöl) An American fresh-water fish, of various species of Pomotis and allied genera, which are also called sunfishes and pondfishes. See Pondfish.
3. n. (Zoöl) A marine sparoid fish of the genus Pagellus, and allied genera. See Sea Bream.
4. v. (Naut.) To clean, as a ship's bottom of adherent shells, seaweed, etc., by the application of fire and scraping.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any of various usually edible freshwater percoid fishes having compressed bodies and shiny scales; especially (but not exclusively) of the genus Lepomis
2. n. flesh of various freshwater fishes of North America or of Europe
3. n. flesh of any of various saltwater fishes of the family Sparidae or the family Bramidae
4. v. clean (a ship's bottom) with heat
5. n. any of numerous marine percoid fishes especially (but not exclusively) of the family Sparidae