dace

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small, slender European freshwater fish, Leuciscus leuciscus, that commonly swims in shoals

   A shoal of dace flashed beneath the willows in the clear river.

2. 2
   noun

   any of various related small freshwater fishes of the carp family, especially in North America

   The survey found several native dace species in the mountain stream.

From late Middle English darse through Old French darz, the oblique plural of a word meaning 'dart or javelin.' The English form lost its r, as bass did in a different fish name; the dart image may reflect the fish's slender body or quick movement.

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