shoaly

Variant of shoal

noun

  1. a large group; mass; crowd
  2. a large school of fish

Origin: via dial. < OE scolu, multitude, school of fish, akin to Du school < IE *skēl- < base *(s)kel-, to cut > shield

intransitive verb

to come together in or move about as a shoal or school
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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