kipper

¹ American  

[kip-er] / ˈkɪp ər /

noun

1. a fish, especially a herring, that has been cured by splitting, salting, drying, and smoking.

2. this method of curing fish.

3. a male salmon during or after the spawning season.

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verb (used with object)

kippers, present (3rd person singular) kippered, past participle, past kippering present participle

1. to cure (herring, salmon, etc.) by splitting, salting, drying and smoking.

kipper ² American  

[kip-er] / ˈkɪp ər /

noun

Australian Informal.

1. a young Aboriginal male, usually 14 to 16 years old, who has recently undergone his tribal initiation rite.

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kipper ¹ British  

/ ˈkɪpə /

noun

1. a fish, esp a herring, that has been cleaned, salted, and smoked

2. a male salmon during the spawning season

3. archaic an Englishman

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verb

1. (tr) to cure (a fish, esp a herring) by salting and smoking

kipper ² British  

/ ˈkɪpə /

noun

1. a native Australian youth who has completed an initiation rite

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kipper ³ British  

/ ˈkɪpə /

noun

1. informal an adult who cannot afford to move away from his or her parents' home

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• kippering
  present
• kippered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• kipper
  simple
• kippers
  simple
• have kippered
  perfect
• has kippered
  perfect
• am kippering
  progressive
• are kippering
  progressive
• is kippering
  progressive
• have been kippering
  perfect progressive
• has been kippering
  perfect progressive

Past

• kippered
  simple
• had kippered
  perfect
• was kippering
  progressive
• were kippering
  progressive
• had been kippering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will kipper
  simple
• will have kippered
  perfect
• will be kippering
  progressive
• will have been kippering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of kipper¹

before 1000; Middle English kypre, Old English cypera spawning salmon, apparently derivative of cyperen of copper, i.e., copper-colored

Origin of kipper²

First recorded in 1835–45, kipper is from the Wiradjuri word gibirr “man”

Example Sentences

Williams’ crew of producers, for example, include veteran R&B artist Kipper Jones, who worked on her earlier albums, and Chantry Johnson, who has also produced Lana Del Rey.

From Salon • May 2, 2024

Created by designer Michael Fish, it is a "Kipper tie", known for its unusually wide shape.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2024

Kipper later said that 15 Russia-launched drones were destroyed over the city.

From Reuters • Nov. 6, 2023

Kipper and Debbie Lloyd, a registered nurse, also traveled to the island to assist in the process and give Depp medication.

From Washington Post • Apr. 18, 2022

Kipper, kip′ėr, n. a male salmon after the spawning season: a salmon split open, seasoned, and dried.—v.t. to cure or preserve, as a salmon or haddock.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Related Words

• dry
• preserve
• smoke