Herlings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small fishes of the herring family, often caught young and sold for food along northern European coasts
2. Tiny silvery sea fish resembling young herrings, typically netted in shoals near shore
3. Diminutive marine fish related to the herring, commonly taken in large numbers for eating or bait

Etymology: "Herlings" is the plural of "herling," a word for a small fish, most often the sea trout or the smelt, depending on the region. The singular "herling" is the form that carries the meaning, and the plural simply names several of these fish at once, as in fishermen counting a catch.