alec

¹

[al-ik]

noun

Obsolete.

1. a herring.

2. a sauce or relish made from small herring or anchovies.

alec

²

[al-ik]

noun

Australian.

1. a simpleton or fool.

Alec

³

Or Al·eck

[al-ik]

noun

1. a first name, form of Alexander.

Word History and Origins

Origin of alec¹

1510–20; < Latin ( h ) al ( l ) ec fish sauce

Origin of alec²

1920–25; smart aleck ( def. ); sense shift perhaps originally from ironic usage

Example Sentences

Jayden Myers' reply early in the second half gave Wakefield hope, but a Gareth O'Brien penalty and Alec Tuitavake's score meant Cameron Scott's superb solo try was mere consolation.

From BBC

Baldwin — a formerly accented yoga teacher who with husband Alec Baldwin and their seven baby “Baldwinitos” stars on, not surprisingly, “The Baldwins” — is only part of the cast’s reality TV contingent.

From Los Angeles Times

That’s the dilemma facing some property owners in desert regions outside of Los Angeles, according to Alec Mackie, who bought land in Yucca Valley in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

Alec Mackie owns three lots in Yucca Valley and wants to build his retirement home on one of them.

From Los Angeles Times

Rescue crews are searching for US climate journalist Alec Luhn, who vanished while hiking on a glacier in Folgefonna National Park in southwestern Norway.

From BBC