Pilchards are small fish that live in the sea. Pilchards can be eaten as food.
...tinned pilchards.
pilchard in British English
(ˈpɪltʃəd)
noun
1.
a European food fish, Sardina (or Clupea) pilchardus, with a rounded body covered with large scales: family Clupeidae (herrings)
2.
a related fish, Sardinops neopilchardus, of S Australian waters
Word origin
C16: pylcher, of obscure origin
pilchard in American English
(ˈpɪltʃərd)
noun
a member of any of two genera (Sardina and Sardinops) of small, oily, marine clupeid fishes; esp., the commercial sardine (Sardina pilchardus) of W Europe
Word origin
earlier pilcher < ?
Examples of 'pilchard' in a sentence
pilchard
Harry sat down, hugely conscious of his improper dress and feeling like a pilchard in a bowl of caviar.
Dobbs, Michael WALL GAMES (2002)
Outside he began to sketch Croyden and Bran as they slipped the pilchard fillets over each hook.
Philip Marsden THE MAIN CAGES (2002)
Isa made arrangements for daily supplies of fish, crab, lobsters, mackerel, pilchard when they could get them.