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men·ha·den

(mĕn-hādn)

n. pl. menhaden or men·ha·dens

Any of several fishes of the genus Brevoortia, especially B. tyrannus of North American Atlantic waters, used as a source of fish oil, fishmeal, fertilizer, and bait. Also called pogy.

[Probably blend of Narragansett munnawhatteaûg, a herring-like fish (akin to munnohquohteau, he enriches the land, from its use as a fertilizer) and American English dialectal (New England) poghaden, menhaden (probably of Algonquian origin).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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