shotten

[ shot-n ]

/ ˈʃɒt n /

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adjective

(of fish, especially herring) having recently ejected the spawn.

Obsolete. (of a bone) dislocated.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shotten

1175–1225; Middle English, past participle of shoot¹

Words nearby shotten

shot noise, shot on goal, shot put, shot-putter, shott, shotten, shotting, shot to hell, shot tower, shottsuru, shot up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shotten in a sentence

The horns of some of the Elk have not yet fallen off, and those of others have shotten out to the length of six inches.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark|Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
And tell me, ye sons of shotten herrings, wasn't it worth more to save him than the dirty silver?
Westward Ho!|Charles Kingsley
My good friend Timothy Shotten of London was pilot of this ship.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. VIII.|Robert Kerr
As he was unbound and walked away from the post, his blood-shotten eyes had taken her in standing there with Jake.
The Duke of Stockbridge|Edward Bellamy

British Dictionary definitions for shotten

shotten

/ (ˈʃɒtən) /

adjective

(of fish, esp herring) having recently spawned

archaic worthless or undesirable

Word Origin for shotten

C15: from obsolete past participle of shoot

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