Main Entry: mack·er·el

Pronunciation: \ˈma-k(ə-)rəl\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural mackerel or mackerels

Etymology: Middle English makerel, from Anglo-French

Date: 14th century

1 : a scombroid fish (Scomber scombrus of the family Scombridae) of the North Atlantic that is green above with dark blue bars and silvery below and is a commercially important food fish
2 : any of various fishes (as the wahoo and king mackerel) in the same family as the mackerel especially when distinguished from the related bonito or tuna by a comparatively smaller size

[mackerel illustration]