Standard Lemma guide

sprat

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /spɹæt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æt

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of various small, herring-like, marine fish in the genus Sprattus, in the family Clupeidae.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any of various similar fish of other genera.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Anything petty or insignificant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A sixpence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, obsolete, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To manure (land) with sprats (the fish).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

small herring processed like a sardine

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brisling, Clupea sprattus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sardine

7

noun

Meaning 7

small fatty European fish; usually smoked or canned like sardines

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brisling

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: herring

History

Etymology

From Middle English sprotte, from Old English sprot. Older source is unknown. Cognate with German Sprotte, Dutch sprot. Compare sprout.

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: papalinë — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Asturian: chapla — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Asturian: llacha — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Asturian: trancha — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Bulgarian: ца́ца (cáca) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Bulgarian: трицо́на (tricóna) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Bulgarian: ко́пърка (kópǎrka) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Bulgarian: шпрот (šprot) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Czech: šprot — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Dutch: sprot — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Esperanto: sproto — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Estonian: kilu — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Estonian: sprott — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Faroese: brislingur — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Finnish: kilohaili — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Finnish: anjovis — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Finnish: sardelli — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • French: sprat — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Galician: trancho — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • German: Sprotte — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Greek: παπαλίνα (papalína) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Ancient Greek: μαίνη (maínē) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Hungarian: sprotni — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Indonesian: japuh — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Irish: bioránach — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Irish: maghar — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Irish: salán — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Irish: sprot — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Irish: stuifín — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Italian: spratto — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Italian: papalina — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Latin: maena — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Māori: kupae — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brisling — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: brisling — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Old English: sprott — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Persian: کیلکا (kilkâ) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Polish: szprot — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Polish: szprotka — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Portuguese: espadilha — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Romanian: sprot — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Russian: ки́лька (kílʹka) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Russian: шпрот (šprot) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Scots: garvie — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Scottish Gaelic: garbhag — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Serbo-Croatian: слеђица — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Serbo-Croatian: sleđica — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Spanish: espadín — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Swedish: skarpsill — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Turkish: çaça — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Welsh: corbennog — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Woiwurrung: dalibali — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • Yiddish: שפּראָט (shprot) — any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus