Bream is a general term for a number of species of freshwater and marine fish, mainly, but not exhaustively, drawn from the genera Abramis, Acanthopagrus, Argyrops, Blicca, Brama, Etelis, Gymnocranius, Lethrinus, Nemipterus, Rhabdosargus and Scolopsis. Although species from all of these genera are called "Bream", the term does not imply a degree of relatedness between these species, such as a family or other higher taxa would. Fish termed "bream" tend to be narrow, deep bodied species. The name is a derivation of the Middle English word Breme, of Old French origin.
