Etymology: < scientific Latin Pimelodus, genus name (see pimelodid adj. and n.). N.E.D. (1906) gives the pronunciation as (pi·mĕlōud) /ˈpɪmələʊd/. Compare earlier use of the former genus name †Pimelodes (M. H. C. Lichtenstein 1819, in Zoologisches Mag. 1 58, after A. M. C Duméril Zool. analytique (1806) 340/2):1852 H. Murray Encycl. Geogr. 218 Muddy waters, issuing from subterranean caverns, carry with them a great quantity of small fishes. These fishes are a species of pimelodes (P. cyclopum).1866 R. A. Peacock On Steam, as Motive Power in Earthquakes & Volcanoes 38 The curious fishes (pimelodes cyclopum) were found in the ejected water of the volcano.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2020).
n.1890