herring

Meaning

Noun

• A type of small, oily fish of the genus Clupea, often used as food.
• Fish in the family Clupeidae.
• Fish similar to those in genus Clupea, many of those in the order Clupeiformes.

Origin

• From Middle English hering, from Old English hǣring, from Proto-West Germanic *hāring, further etymology unknown. Possibly derived from Proto-Germanic *hērą -ing, due to the similarity of their fine bones to hair. Cognate with Scots hering, haring, Saterland Frisian Hiering, Häiring, West Frisian hjerring, Dutch haring, German Low German Hereng, Hering, German Hering. French hareng, Norman ĥéren, Latin haringus, etc. are borrowings from Germanic.