smelt3

 
Pronunciation: /smɛlt/

noun (plural or smelts)

  • a small silvery fish which lives in both marine and fresh water and is sometimes fished commercially, in particular:
    • a fish of the northern hemisphere (family Osmeridae: Osmerus and other genera). a fish of Australasian waters (family Retropinnidae: several genera).

Origin:

Old English; obscurely related to various European names of fish; compare with smolt