pilchard
UK /ˈpɪl.tʃəd/ · US /ˈpɪl.t͡ʃɚd/ noun
Forms pilchards
- noun Any of various small oily fish that are, or are related to, herrings, in the family Clupeidae.
- noun (often specifically) Sardina pilchardus.
Synonyms
Etymology
From earlier pilcher, adapted to the suffix -ard. Further etymology unknown. Compare Dutch pelser.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A small European food fish (Clupea pilchardus) resembling the herring, but thicker and rounder. It is sometimes taken in great numbers on the coast of England.
Etymology [Cf. It. pilseir, W. pilcod minnows.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pilchard”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details