Main Entry: men·ha·den

Pronunciation: \men-ˈhā-d^ən, mən-\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural men·ha·den also men·ha·dens

Etymology: of Algonquian origin; akin to Narragansett munnawhatteaûg menhaden

Date: 1765

: a marine fish (Brevoortia tyrannus) of the herring family abundant along the Atlantic coast of the United States where it is used for bait or converted into oil and fertilizer; also : any of several congeneric fishes