common American shad

4.6

A fish from the Atlantic coast of North America that people eat

noun
/ˈkɑːmən əˈmɛrɪkən ʃæd/

: sábalo americano común

Scientists are studying the migration patterns of the common American shad to support conservation efforts.

Examples

Commercial fisheries along the East Coast rely heavily on the common American shad.
The common American shad is prized by anglers during its annual spawning migrations.
The common American shad is known for its delicious taste.
Many fishermen target the common American shad during the spring.
Commercial fisheries along the East Coast rely heavily on the common American shad, which is valued as a food fish.
The common American shad is prized by anglers for its tasty flesh during its annual spawning migrations.
Many fishermen target the common American shad each spring due to its popularity as a food source.

Synonyms

Alosa sapidissima

vscommon American shad

Specialized

9.9

A fish like a herring living on North America's Atlantic coast and now on its Pacific coast

highlights its value as food rather than only its biological description

Surface Forms

common American shad singular

common American shads plural

Morphology

common + American + shad

The phrase is fully compositional: 'shad' names a fish species, modified by 'American' (origin/region) and 'common' (frequently occurring). A B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer it refers to a frequently occurring American species of shad with no idiomatic or metaphorical shift.

Etymology

Common American shad is a name from everyday speech: shad was the local name for a spring-running fish, and adding common and American showed it was the usual shad found along the American coast. So the name simply means the familiar 'food fish' people caught in rivers and by the sea.