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

All of which makes the decision to play in the round, packed like sardines in a crushed tin can, all the more significant.

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Then they would take the train home, packed together like sardines in the third-class car.

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One major factor in this decline is competition with local fisheries that catch sardines and anchovies, which are essential prey for the birds.

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Painting the eye cups of a sardine puppet.

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One of their key winter gathering spots is the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of France, where nutrient-rich waters attract anchovies, sardines, and other small fish that serve as food for the dolphins.

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Related Words

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