Sardina pilchardus

8.0

A small oily fish found in large groups near European coasts

noun

Specialized

: sardina

Fishermen caught thousands of Sardina pilchardus off the coast of Portugal this season.

Examples

The diet of the Atlantic puffin includes Sardina pilchardus among other small fish.
The Sardina pilchardus is commonly found in the Mediterranean Sea.
Conservation measures are being considered for Sardina pilchardus due to declining populations.
Many fishermen target Sardina pilchardus during the summer months.
Fishermen caught thousands of Sardina pilchardus off the coast of Portugal this season.
Many fishermen target Sardina pilchardus during the summer months.
Conservation measures are being considered for Sardina pilchardus due to declining populations.

Synonyms

sardine

vsSardina pilchardus

60 1.3

A small oily fish often sold in cans and eaten

is the European species that is smaller and rounder than herrings

pilchard

vsSardina pilchardus

5.5

A small oily fish often canned and eaten

is the specific European fish species rather than the general canned fish

Surface Forms

Sardina pilchardus singular

Sardina pilcharduses plural

Morphology

Sardina + pilchardus

This binomial name is compositionally a genus + species label: knowing 'Sardina' (a genus of small fish/pilchards) lets a learner infer that Sardina pilchardus refers to a particular small fish (a sardine/pilchard). Although 'pilchardus' is Latin and not in the provided dictionary entry, taxonomic naming is a regular, cross-linguistically transparent pattern, so the overall meaning is derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Sardina pilchardus may come from the island of Sardinia, where these small fish were once so common that people caught and salted them for food. That's why the name now means the small, round fish called the 'European pilchard' or 'sardine' that swim in large schools along European coasts.