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sar·dine

(sär-dēn)

1. Any of various edible fishes of the family Clupeidae that are frequently canned, especially small herrings of western Atlantic waters and Sardina pilchardus of European waters.

2. Any of various other small, silvery, edible freshwater or marine fishes.

tr.v. sar·dined, sar·din·ing, sar·dines
Slang

To pack tightly; cram: "The bars are sardined with hungry hopefuls" (Gael Greene).

[Middle English sardin, from Old French sardine, from Latin sardīna, from sarda, a kind of fish, ultimately from Greek Sardō, Sardinia.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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