herring

her-ring · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A silvery fish that is found in large schools in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans, important as a food fish.

  2. 2.

    The flesh of this fish as food.

Forms

plural: herring/herrings

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    red herring — something that misleads or distracts from the relevant issue (from the practice of using smoked herring to train hunting dogs)
  • •
    neither fish nor fowl (nor good red herring) — something that doesn't fit into any category
  • •
    packed like herring — very crowded

Related words

See also: fish, mackerel, sardine

Etymology

From Old English haering, hering, of West Germanic origin. Related to Dutch haring and German Hering.