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Webster 1913 Edition
Shad
Shad
(shăd)
, Noun.
sing.
& pl.
[AS.
sceadda
a kind of fish, akin to Prov. G. schade
; cf. Ir. & Gael. sgadan
a herring, W. ysgadan
herrings; all perhaps akin to E. skate
a fish.] (Zool.)
Any one of several species of food fishes of the Herring family. The American species (
Alosa sapidissima
formerly Clupea sapidissima
), which is abundant on the Atlantic coast and ascends the larger rivers in spring to spawn, is an important market fish. The European allice shad, or alose (Alosa alosa
formerly Clupea alosa
), and the twaite shad (Alosa finta
formerly Clupea finta
), are less important species. [Written also
chad
.] ☞ The name is loosely applied, also, to several other fishes, as the gizzard shad (see under
Gizzard
), called also mud shad
, white-eyed shad
, and winter shad
. Hardboaded shad
, or Yellow-tailed shad
the menhaden.
– Hickory shad
, or Tailor shad
the
– mattowacca
. Long-boned shad
, one of several species of important food fishes of the Bermudas and the West Indies, of the genus
– Gerres
. Shad bush
(Bot.)
, a name given to the North American shrubs or small trees of the rosaceous genus
– Amelanchier
(Amelanchier Canadensis
, and Amelanchier alnifolia
). Their white racemose blossoms open in April or May, when the shad appear, and the edible berries (pomes) ripen in June or July, whence they are called Juneberries
. The plant is also called service tree
, and Juneberry
. Shad frog
, an American spotted frog (
– Rana halecina
); – so called because it usually appears at the time when the shad begin to run in the rivers. Trout shad
, the squeteague.
– White shad
, the common shad.
Webster 1828 Edition
Shad
SHAD
,Noun.
Definition 2024
shad
shad
English
an American shad (Alosa sapidissima)
Noun
shad (plural shad or shads)
- Any one of several species of food fishes that make up the genus Alosa in the family Clupeidae, to which the herrings also belong; river herring.
- For usage examples of this term, see Citations:shad.
Derived terms
terms derived from shad
Translations
fishes of the herring family