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shoal²

(shōl)

1. A large school of fish or other aquatic animals.

2. A large group; a crowd: a shoal of advisers.

intr.v. shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals

To come together in large numbers: The fish were shoaling.

[Probably Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schōle; see skel-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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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