Gillnetters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or vessels engaged in the practice of fishing using nets that entangle fish by their gills
2. Fishermen who utilize specialized nets designed to capture fish while allowing smaller organisms to escape
3. Operators of gill nets that are strategically set in water to ensnare fish by their gill structures during fishing activities

Etymology: "Gillnetters" is the plural of "gillnetter," a person who operates a gill net. The noun is built from "gillnet" with the agent suffix "-er," which attaches to a verb or noun to name the person who performs an activity. Here the activity is the fishing method itself: a gill net is a wall of mesh set in the water so that fish swim into it and become caught by their gills. The base word "gillnet" is a compound of "gill," the breathing organ of fish, and "net," a mesh fabric for catching. The gill is the part that snags, since the mesh catches behind the gill covers and the fish cannot back out. So a gillnetter is, in effect, named for the body part the method depends on, with the suffix turning the piece of equipment into the person who sets and tends it.

Synonyms: fishermen, netters