Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various small edible marine fishes of the family Clupeidae, especially a commercially important European species, Sardina pilchardus, which is often canned. Small pilchards are sometimes called sardines.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A fish of the family Clupeidæ, Clupea pilchardus, resembling the herring, but thicker and rounder, with the under jaw shorter, the back more elevated, the belly less sharp, and the mouth edentulous.
- noun A fish, Clupea sagax, closely related to the pilchard.
- noun A third fish of the family Clupeidæ, Harengula macrophthalma.
- noun The young menhaden.
- noun A fish, Sardinella sagax, which visits the Australian shores periodically in large shoals: apparently the same as the Californian and Chilean pilchard, and closely related to the English pilchard, Sardinella pilchardus.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A small European food fish (
Clupea pilchardus ) resembling the herring, but thicker and rounder. It is sometimes taken in great numbers on the coast of England.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of various small oily fish related to
herrings , family Clupeidae.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun small fishes found in great schools along coasts of Europe; smaller and rounder than herring
- noun small fatty fish usually canned
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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The pilchard is a little fish resembling a small herring.
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And the Penguin chews the scenery as if coated in pilchard paste and quacks "Penguins mate for life" into Catwoman's ear.
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Actually, the best sardine (pilchard) I ever had was pan-sized - salted and flame grilled until the skin was black.
Fried Carp, Anyone? 2009
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Actually, the best sardine (pilchard) I ever had was pan-sized - salted and flame grilled until the skin was black.
Fried Carp, Anyone? 2009
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After the local pilchard and anchovy stocks collapsed, the penguins were forced to search out new and less abundant prey items, such as gobe, red hake, and squid, but it was already too late.
The Great Penguin Rescue Dyan DeNapoli 2010
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Despite the introduction of laws restricting the catch, the pilchard population has never fully recovered in this part of the world.
The Great Penguin Rescue Dyan DeNapoli 2010
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With the birds confined to this small space, and with no way to escape, most eventually opened their mouths to eat when a pilchard was firmly and persistently pressed against the sides of their beaks.
The Great Penguin Rescue Dyan DeNapoli 2010
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Once made aware of the huge numbers of penguins that could die as a result of this food shortage, Valli Moosa agreed to temporarily lift the restrictions on the pilchard catch.
The Great Penguin Rescue Dyan DeNapoli 2010
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Because of the dramatic decline in the pilchard population in the Western Cape area, local fishing restrictions had previously been put into place in an attempt to increase the numbers of these fish.
The Great Penguin Rescue Dyan DeNapoli 2010
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There are many species of Clupeidae, with varying sizes and tastes, from the Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus, to the pilchard much loved in England, and often served in tomato sauce, to the tiny sprat, best smoked and eaten bones and all.
"The Silver Darlings": Oliver Sacks on Herring Fresca 2009
chained_bear commented on the word pilchard
"A small sea fish related to the herring but smaller and rounder, especially an edible species found abundantly off hte coasts of Cornwall and Devon." --A Sea of Words, 332
For pilchard-boat, see a usage note on bilander.
February 27, 2008