English Reference
Noun

hatchery

n. countable
C1 Advanced US /ˈhætʃɝi/ UK /hˈætʃəɹi/ hatch·ery UK spelling hatcheries

n.a place where fish or other animals are kept so their eggs can be laid and the young can grow. It is like a factory for baby animals.

n.a facility for the artificial propagation of fish or other aquatic organisms. Often used in the context of aquaculture or conservation efforts to replenish wild populations.


SIMPLE

The local hatchery releases thousands of salmon into the river every spring.

CONTEXTUAL

To prevent the local trout population from dying out, the government built a hatchery to protect the eggs from predators.

COMPLEX

While the hatchery was initially successful in boosting the salmon count, biologists eventually realized that the genetically uniform fish were less likely to survive the harsh conditions of the open ocean.

The ultimate aim is to help hatchery managers determine the sex ratios among broodstock populations through nonlethal approaches.

Phys.org· 26 Aug 2026

From hatch + -ery.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated