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silversides

silversides

1 9.0
A small, thin fish with a shiny silver stripe often used as bait
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪlvərˌsaɪdz/
  • US
translation icon : silverside
  • We watched a school of silversides flash and scatter as a heron landed nearby.

Examples

  • Have you ever caught a silverside?

  • Fishermen often use silversides as bait for larger freshwater fish.

  • The bay was teeming with silversides darting just beneath the water's surface.

  • The fisherman used silversides for bait.

  • The fisherman used silversides as bait to catch larger fish in the lake.

  • During the summer, you can often see silversides swimming near the shore.

  • I went fishing and caught several silversides that were perfect for bait.

Synonyms

silverside
vssilversides
  • US
1 8.8

A small fish with a silver stripe along each side found near the Atlantic coast of the United States

is the North American slender bait fish with a silvery stripe along its side
Atherinidae
vssilversides
  • Specialized
9.9

Small thin fish with silvery sides that live in fresh or salt water, often called silversides

is the narrower North American slender bait fish, not the entire family
family Atherinidae
vssilversides
  • Specialized
9.8

A group of small fish with shiny sides that live in salt or fresh water called silversides

is the specific slender bait fish rather than the broader fish group

Surface Forms

silversides singular
silversides plural

Morphology

silversides = silverside (transparent) = silver + side + s

The name is directly descriptive (silver + side) and the plural is a regular noun pluralization; learners can infer the referent as fish with silvery sides.

Etymology

Silversides is made of silver and sides because these small fish have a shiny 'silver' stripe along each 'side'. So the name shows what the fish looks like and helps you remember it is a little silvery fish often used as bait.