mackerel
a food fish, Scomber scombrus, of the North Atlantic, having wavy cross markings on the back.
any of various similar fishes, as the Atka mackerel.
Origin of mackerel
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use mackerel in a sentence
I had just reached out my plate, to be helped, my boy, when there came a great noise from the Mackerels in the front door-yard.
The Orpheus C. Kerr Papers. Series 1 | Robert H. NewellThe ensuing week there was a sheriffs sale at Mackerels residence.
The Funny Side of Physic | A. D. CrabtreThe chief distinction lies in the lunate tail, which has a keel on either side at base, as in the mackerels.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2) | David Starr JordanIn the course of a few minutes, however, he was seen on the surface with vast numbers of mackerels fastened to him.
Illustrative Anecdotes of the Animal Kingdom | Samuel Griswold GoodrichMackerels of various genera abound, as well as gobies, blenniesm and mullets.
British Dictionary definitions for mackerel
/ (ˈmækrəl) /
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 (def. 1)
any of various other fishes of the family Scombridae, such as Scomber colias (Spanish mackerel) and S. japonicus (Pacific mackerel)
Origin of mackerel
1- See horse mackerel
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
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