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Glite Dictionary
Sardinops caerulea

Sardinops caerulea

9.7
A small fish that lives off the Pacific coast of North America and is called the Pacific sardine
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Sardinops caerulea
  • Commercial fishing of Sardinops caerulea was once a major industry along the California coast.

Examples

  • Recent studies show the population of Sardinops caerulea is recovering after years of decline.

  • The diet of many marine birds includes Sardinops caerulea as a primary food source.

  • The Sardinops caerulea is a common fish in the Pacific Ocean.

  • Many fishermen rely on Sardinops caerulea for their livelihood.

  • Commercial fishing of Sardinops caerulea was once a major industry along the California coast.

  • Recent studies show the population of Sardinops caerulea is recovering after years of decline.

  • The diet of many marine birds includes Sardinops caerulea as a primary food source.

Synonyms

Pacific sardine
vsSardinops caerulea
  • US
4.9

A small oily fish found off the Pacific coast of North America used for food or bait

is a different species sharing the same common name

Surface Forms

Sardinops caerulea singular
Sardinops caeruleas plural

Morphology

Sardinops + caerulea

This is a Latin binomial taxonomic name rather than a compositional English phrase; a B1 learner who knows the listed constituents would not be able to derive 'Pacific sardine' from them because 'caerulea' is a non‑English, undocumented Latin epithet and 'Sardinops' is a genus label rather than a transparent noun phrase. Scientific names function as arbitrary lexical labels across languages, so the overall meaning is not predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Sardinops caerulea comes from two old words: Sardinops means 'sardine-like' and caerulea means 'blue', so it creates the image of a small blue sardine. That's why this name fits the small Pacific fish often called the 'Pacific sardine'.