shoal (n.1)

"place of shallow water in a stream, lake, or sea," Middle English sholde, from Old English scealde (adj.) "shallow, of little depth," an oblique case of sceald "shallow," from Proto-Germanic *skala- (source also of Swedish skäll "thin;" Low German schol, Frisian skol "not deep"), a word of uncertain origin. The terminal -d in English was dropped 16c. Shoaler "sailor in the coastal trade" is by 1891.

shoal (n.2)

"large number, great multitude" (especially of fish), 1570s, a word of uncertain origin. It is apparently identical with Middle English scole "a troop, throng, crowd," from Old English scolu "band, troop, crowd of fish" (see school (n.2)), but it also might be a 16c. adoption of the cognate Middle Dutch schole.

also from 1570s

shoal (v.)

"assemble in a multitude," as some fish do, c. 1600, from shoal (n.2). Of water, "to become shallow or shallower," 1570s, from shoal (n.1). Related: Shoaled; shoaling.

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to shoal

school (n.2)

[large number of fish] late 14c., scole, from Middle Dutch schole (Dutch school) "group of fish or other animals" (porpoises, whales), which is cognate with Old English scolu "band, troop, crowd of fish," both from West Germanic *skulo- (source also of Old Saxon scola "troop, multitude," West Frisian skoal), perhaps with a literal sense of "division," and from PIE root *skel- (1) "to cut." Compare shoal (n.2)), the assibilated form of the same word. For possible sense development, compare section (n.) from Latin secare "to cut."

shallow (adj.)

c. 1400, schalowe, shaloue, "not deep" (of water, a river, etc.); also of the human body, "thin, emaciated," probably from the same source as Old English sceald "shallow" (see shoal (n.)), perhaps as an abbreviated form of *scealdig. Of breathing, attested from 1875; of thought or feeling, "superficial," by 1580s. Related: Shallowly; shallowness. The noun, usually shallows, "place where water is not deep" is recorded from 1570s, from the adjective.

*skel- (1)

also *kel-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to cut."

It forms all or part of: coulter; cutlass; half; halve; scale (n.1) "skin plates on fish or snakes;" scale (n.2) "weighing instrument;" scalene; scallop; scalp; scalpel; school (n.2) "group of fish;" sculpture; shale; sheldrake; shelf; shell; shield; shoal (n.2) "large number;" skoal; skill.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Latin culter "knife," scalpere "to cut, scrape;" Old Church Slavonic skolika "mussel, shell," Russian skala "rind, bark," Lithuanian skelti "split," Old English scell "shell," scalu "drinking cup, bowl, scale of a balance."

Trends of shoal

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to Explore

bank

As "rising ground in a sea or rover, shoal," from c. 1600. As "bench for rowers in an ancient galley," 1590s....

wade

wade"), from PIE root *wadh- (2) "to go," found only in Germanic and Latin (source also of Latin vadere "to go," vadum "shoal...

alert

"on the watch," 1610s, from French alerte "vigilant" (17c.), from prepositional phrase à l'erte "on the watch," from Italian all'erta "to the height." The second element is from erta "lookout, high tower," noun use of fem. of erto, past participle of ergere "raise up," from Latin

alter

late 14c., "to change (something), make different in some way," from Old French alterer "to change, alter," from Medieval Latin alterare "to change," from Latin alter "the other (of the two)," from PIE root *al- (1) "beyond" + comparative suffix -ter (as in other). Intransitive s

change

c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),

modify

late 14c., modifien, "alter, amend, adjust, change the properties, form, or function of;" also "set limits, keep within the bounds of reason; choose a middle course," from Old French modifier (14c.), from Latin modificare "to limit, measure off, restrain," from modus "measure, ma

fish

"a vertebrate which has gills and fins adapting it for living in the water," Old English fisc "fish," from Proto-Germanic *fiskaz (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German fisc, Old Norse fiskr, Middle Dutch visc, Dutch vis, German Fisch, Gothic fisks), perhaps from

water

Old English wæter, from Proto-Germanic *watr- (source also of Old Saxon watar, Old Frisian wetir, Dutch water, Old High German wazzar, German Wasser, Old Norse vatn, Gothic wato "water"), from PIE *wod-or, suffixed form of root *wed- (1) "water; wet." To keep (one's) head above w

Injun

1812 (from 1683 as Ingin), a spelling representing the early American English colloquial pronunciation of Indian (q.v.). Honest Injun as an asseveration of truthfuless is first recorded 1868, from the notion of assurance extracted from Indians of their lack of duplicity in a part

set

Middle English setten, from Old English settan (transitive) "cause to sit; make or cause to rest as on a seat; cause to be put, placed, or seated;" also "put in a definite place," also "arrange, fix adjust; fix or appoint (a time) for some affair or transaction," and "cause (thou

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updated on August 26, 2022

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