dart·er (där?t?r)n.1. One that moves suddenly and rapidly.2. See anhinga.3. Any of various small North American freshwater fishes of the family Percidae, chiefly of the genera Ammocrypta, Etheostoma, and Percina, and sometimes brightly colored.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.darter (?d??t?) n1. (Animals) Also called: anhinga or snakebird any aquatic bird of the genus Anhinga and family Anhingidae, of tropical and subtropical inland waters, having a long slender neck and bill: order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc)2. (Animals) any small brightly coloured North American freshwater fish of the genus Etheostoma and related genera: family Percidae (perches)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014dart?er (?d?r t?r) n. 1. a person or thing that darts. 2. any of several small, darting, colorful North American perches. [1555?65] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.