tench

American  

[tench] / tɛntʃ /

noun

tenches, plural tench plural

1. a freshwater food fish, Tinca tinca, of Europe and Asia that can survive short periods out of water.

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tench British  

/ tɛntʃ /

noun

1. a European freshwater cyprinid game fish, Tinca tinca, having a thickset dark greenish body with a barbel at each side of the mouth

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tench
  plural
• tenches
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tench

1350–1400; Middle English tenche < Middle French, Old French < Late Latin tinca

Example Sentences

Four heat exchangers are submerged in the 1.7 metre deep water, which is also home to dozens of koi carp and tench – fish that have their own role in the operation.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2025

McDowell and Bayley have been the darlings of fly fishermen for decades, although McDowell has become infested with tench and will need a rehabilitation project to restore a productive trout fishery.

From Washington Times • Jul. 5, 2014

Troops from the Mercian regiment's first battalion, who are due for postings in Helmand province, are tackling bream, carp and tench in lakes at the nearby village of Carlton Miniott.

From The Guardian • Apr. 30, 2010

The catch is lowly tench and carp, but the thrill comes from sitting by a green pool ringed with beech trees and watching a huge pike "that was basking in the reeds turn and plunge."

From Time Magazine Archive

He moved his own fins anti-clockwise, gave the tip of his tail a cunning flick, and was lying alongside the tench.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White