herring

Meaning

1. A type of small, oily fish of the genus Clupea, often used as food.
2. Fish in the family Clupeidae.
3. Those fish and any other fish similar to those in genus Clupea, many of those in the order Clupeiformes.

Synonyms

pilchard

Clupea harangus

Atlantic herring

Guiana harring

Madeiran sardinella

Madeiran sardinelle

bonejack

freshwater taylor

fall herring

hickory shad

hardback herring

hickory jack

orange anchovy

alec

grilled herring

brit

Translations

hareng

aringa

Hering

arenque

arenque

haring

areng

Clupea harengus

zeebanket

ρέγγα

ringa

aringus

ρέγκα

chalcis

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhɛɹɪŋ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: hering

Inherited from Old English: hǣring

Cognate with Scots: hering

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Hiering

Cognate with Western Frisian: hjerring

Cognate with Dutch: haring

Cognate with German: Hering

Cognate with Bavarian: Haring

Cognate with French: hareng

In summary

From Middle English hering, from Old English hǣring, from Proto-West Germanic *hāring (“herring”), further etymology unknown. Possibly derived from Proto-Germanic *hērą (“hair”) + -ing, due to the similarity of their fine bones to hair. Cognate with Scots hering, haring (“herring”), Saterland Frisian Hiering, Häiring (“herring”), West Frisian hjerring (“herring”), Dutch haring (“herring”), German Low German Hereng, Hering (“herring”), German Hering (“herring”), Bavarian Haring (“herring”). Late Latin haringus (whence French hareng, etc.) is borrowed from Germanic.