sardine

¹

[sahr-deen]

noun

plural

sardine ,

plural

sardines .

1. the pilchard, Sardina pilchardus, often preserved in oil and used for food.

2. any of various similar, closely related fishes of the herring family Clupeidae.

sardine

²

[sahr-dahyn, -dn]

noun

1. sard.

sardine

¹

/ sɑːˈdiːn /

noun

1. any of various small marine food fishes of the herring family, esp a young pilchard See also sild

2. very closely crowded together

sardine

²

/ ˈsɑːdiːn, -dən /

noun

1. another name for sard

Word History and Origins

Origin of sardine¹

1400–50; late Middle English sardeine < Middle French sardine < Latin sardīna, derivative of sarda sardine, noun use of feminine of Sardus Sardinian

Origin of sardine²

1300–50; Middle English (< Late Latin sardīnus ) < Greek sárdinos sardius

Word History and Origins

Origin of sardine¹

C15: via Old French from Latin sardīna, diminutive of sarda a fish suitable for pickling

Origin of sardine²

C14: from Late Latin sardinus, from Greek sardinos lithos Sardian stone, from Sardeis Sardis

Idioms and Phrases

see packed in like sardines.

Example Sentences

The gothic arches of Santa María de la Asunción crown the hill above the stone harbour where fishermen land their catches of sardines and anchovies.

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She stressed that some of her opposition comes out of fear that the RV park’s residents, who she said will be “packed in like sardines,” won’t be safe themselves.

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Built for a housing association, it was known to taxi drivers as the sardine can, and both architects and their families took flats there.

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He split the place with Jac Collinsworth, his close high school friend, the two of them packed like sardines into a single room that doubled as the kitchen and dining space.

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Small fish including anchovies and sardines ingest the toxic algae, which then bioaccumulate in larger marine mammals that eat the fish.

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Related Words

• cluster 
• congest 
• congregate 
• deluge 
• flock 
• gather 
• huddle 
• overcrowd 
• pack 
• pile 
• squeeze 
• stream 
• swamp 
• swarm 
• throng