pescatarian

or pes·ce·tar·i·an

[ pes-kuh-tair-ee-uh n ]
/ ˌpɛs kəˈtɛər i ən /

noun

a person whose diet is mostly vegetarian but includes fish and seafood.

adjective

of or relating to pescatarians or their diet: a pescatarian breakfast.

Origin of pescatarian

1990–95; probably from Italian pesce fish (from Latin piscis) + (vege)tarian

Words nearby pescatarian

VOCAB BUILDER

What does pescatarian mean?

A pescatarian is someone whose diet is vegetarian but who also eats fish and seafood. Pescatarian can also be used as an adjective describing such a diet.

A vegetarian is someone who eats a meatless diet that is often primarily based on vegetables. Following a pescatarian diet is called pescatarianism, and it is thought to offer many health benefits. Pescatarian is sometimes spelled pescetarian.

Example: I’m trying to cut out meat and go vegetarian, so for now I’m going to be pescatarian.

Where does pescatarian come from?

The first uses of pescatarian come from around the early 1990s, around the time that the diet started to gain popularity. It is based on the word vegetarian, in which vege refers to vegetables. In pescatarian, this is replaced with pesca, which is probably based on the Italian word for “fish.” The suffix -arian is used to indicate a person who practices or advocates for something.

There are many reasons people become pescatarians. Most often, it is to be healthier. Sometimes, people who want to eat a mostly vegetarian diet also want to retain a source of protein that is not meat (like chicken or beef). Fish and other seafood provide this protein, sometimes along with some added nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acid, which has been linked to several health benefits. Other people become pescatarians as a way to start reducing their reliance on animal-based proteins before eventually becoming vegetarians or vegans (people whose diet contains no animal products of any kind, including eggs or dairy products). And others find their way to pescatarianism through popular diets that encourage the consumption of high amounts of protein.

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What are some other forms of pescatarian?

  • pescetarian (alternate spelling)
  • pescatarianism (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with pescatarian

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing pescatarian?

How is pescatarian used real life?

Pescatarian is often used in discussions of diets that are intended to be healthier options, especially for the purposes of changing one’s lifestyle.

 

 

Try using pescatarian!

Is pescatarian used correctly in the following sentence?

I went pescatarian a few months back and I haven’t had any meat since.