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purse-seine

[purs-seyn]
verb (used without object), purse-seined, purse-sein·ing.
  1. to fish using a purse seine.
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Related formspurse seiner, noun

purse seine

noun
  1. a large seine, for use generally by two boats, that is drawn around a school of fish and then closed at the bottom by means of a line passing through rings attached along the lower edge of the net.
  2. a technique of fishing that utilizes a purse seine to capture large schools of fish, especially tuna.
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Origin of purse seine

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for purse-seine

Historical Examples of purse-seine

  • I've seen something like this once, when a purse-seine was hauled.

    Creatures of the Abyss

    Murray Leinster

  • But at last he grew accustomed to the tall immovable stakes in the channel which supported the purse-seine.

    Neighbors Unknown

    Charles G. D. Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for purse-seine

purse seine

noun
  1. a large net towed, usually by two boats, that encloses a school of fish and is then closed at the bottom by means of a line resembling the string formerly used to draw shut the neck of a money pouch or purse
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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 purse-seine

n.

1870; see purse (n.) + seine.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper