pickerel

American

[pik-er-uhl, pik-ruhl] / ˈpɪk ər əl, ˈpɪk rəl /

noun

plural

pickerel,

plural

pickerels

any of several small species of pike, as Esox niger chain pickerel and E. americanus americanus redfin pickerel, of eastern North America.
the walleye or pikeperch, Stizostedion vitreum.
British. a young pike.

pickerel British

/ ˈpɪkərəl, ˈpɪkrəl /

noun

any of several North American freshwater game fishes, such as Esox americanus and E. niger: family Esocidae (pikes, walleye, etc)

"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

Etymology

Origin of pickerel

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pickerel, pekerel; pike ¹, -erel

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The list includes two fish: the endangered redfin pickerel and the threatened swamp darter.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 24, 2021

Rice plants are also squeezed by competing species like pickerel weed, which absorbs sunlight and essential nutrients.

From Scientific American • Jun. 1, 2020

Four Hole Swamp - No eating mudfish, largemouth bass or chain pickerel.

From Washington Times • Apr. 11, 2018

If the pickerel bursts forth to go after prey, it returns to the place it started from, with or without the prey.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2017

The clear tree-fringed lakes and rivers are filled with speckled trout and steelheads, pike and pickerel and whitefish.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023