mackerel

American  

[mak-er-uhl, mak-ruhl] / ˈmæk ər əl, ˈmæk rəl /

noun

plural

mackerel,

plural

mackerels

1. a food fish, Scomber scombrus, of the North Atlantic, having wavy cross markings on the back.

2. Spanish mackerel.

3. any of various similar fishes, as the Atka mackerel.

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mackerel British  

/ ˈmækrəl /

noun

1. a spiny-finned food fish, Scomber scombrus, occurring in northern coastal regions of the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean: family Scombridae. It has a deeply forked tail and a greenish-blue body marked with wavy dark bands on the back Compare Spanish mackerel

2. any of various other fishes of the family Scombridae, such as Scomber colias (Spanish mackerel) and S. japonicus (Pacific mackerel)

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Etymology

Origin of mackerel

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French, perhaps same word as Middle French maquerel pimp < Middle Dutch makelare broker (by metathesis), equivalent to makel ( en ) to bring together + -are -er ¹

Compare meaning

How does mackerel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• king mackerel vs. mackerel

Example Sentences

Some fish feed by filtering water, including mackerel, sardines, and anchovies.

From Science Daily

These targets can be achieved by eating more oily fish, such as salmon or mackerel, or through supplementation where needed.

From Science Daily

The smoked rainbow trout and slow-smoked mackerel with chili flakes are my personal favorites, but Fishwife’s selection includes salmon, tuna, mussels, sardines, and even beautifully packaged caviar.

From Salon

Victoria's diet included cod liver oil, lard, salmon oil and oily fish like sardines, mackerel and salmon.

From BBC

Rich also recommended Wild Planet’s canned fish, which includes tuna, sardines, salmon, mackerel, yellowtail and anchovies.

From Salon