dace

[ deys ]

/ deɪs /

noun, plural (especially collectively) dace, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) dac·es.

a small, freshwater cyprinoid fish, Leuciscus leuciscus, of Europe, having a stout, fusiform body.

any of several similar or related fishes of the U.S.

Nearby words

dabchick, dabster, daca, dacarbazine, dacca, dace, dacha, dachau, dachshund, daché, dacia

Origin of dace

1400–50; late Middle English darce, darse < Old French dars < Late Latin darsus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dace

He is a very rapacious bird, and it is asserted that, on an average, he will destroy daily half a hundred small roach and dace.
The Bird|Jules Michelet
Sir Dace put his coffee-cup on the mantelpiece, and took the note from Coralie.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series|Mrs. Henry Wood
Sir Dace sat in the corner, his elbow resting on the desk and his hand partly covering his face.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series|Mrs. Henry Wood
Some of your gang played a low-down trick on Matt, Dace Perry, or he wouldn't have got in your way.
Motor Matt; or, The King of the Wheel|Stanley R. Matthews

Dace and chub are pretty and harmless, but require more changes of water than is usually convenient, or they will soon die.
Three Hundred Things a Bright Boy Can Do|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for dace

dace

/ (deɪs) /

noun plural dace or daces

a European freshwater cyprinid fish, Leuciscus leuciscus, with a slender bluish-green body

any of various similar fishes

Word Origin for dace

C15: from Old French dars dart, probably referring to its swiftness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dace

dace

small, freshwater fish, early 15c., from Old French darz, nominative or plural of dart "dart" (see dart). So called for its movements. Another theory traces it to a Medieval Latin darsus, said to be of Gaulish origin.