Seine

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /seɪn/

Definitions

1. A large net used for fishing that entangles fish by being drawn through water while suspended vertically serves various commercial purposes
2. This netting method captures fish by encircling them as it is pulled through aquatic environments, often employed in the fishing industry
3. A type of fishing apparatus designed to trap fish through encirclement as it is drawn through water, commonly utilized for commercial fishing activities

Etymology: The seine is one of the oldest fishing methods still in use, and its name has travelled a long way. The Ancient Greek "sagēnē" meant "dragnet," a net drawn through water to enclose fish. The Romans borrowed it as "sagēna," and it reached the Germanic languages early enough that Old English had "segne" by the time of the Anglo-Saxons, giving modern English a direct inheritance rather than a later loan. The word's own origin is a mystery. Its ultimate source in Greek is of unknown origin, so no earlier root can be traced with confidence. What is clear is the physical idea behind it: the net does its work by surrounding, not by snagging, which is why the same name stuck to a device that is still hauled through the water to gather fish into a closing circle.

Synonyms: net, fishing net, fish trap