smelts

Variant of smelt

smelt definition

smelt (smelt)

noun pl. smelts or smelt

any of various fishes (order Salmoniformes); esp., any of a family (Osmeridae) of small, silvery, salmonoid food fishes found in northern seas or lakes: most run up rivers to spawn

Etymology: ME < OE, akin to Norw smelt, whiting, Du smelt, Ger schmelte, sand eel

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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