/spɹæt/
OriginFrom Middle English sprotte, from Old English sprot. Older source is unknown. Cognate with German Sprotte, Dutch sprot. Compare sprout.
- Any of various small, herring-like, marine fish in the genus Sprattus, in the family Clupeidae.
- Any of various similar fish of other genera.
- broadlyAnything petty or insignificant.
- UK, obsolete, slangA sixpence.
“The price of a case (five shillings piece bad) from the smasher is about one shilling; an alderman (two and sixpence) about sixpence; a peg (shilling) about threepence; a downer or sprat (sixpence) ab”
- historical, transitiveTo manure (land) with sprats (the fish).
“[…] spratting the land. This treatment is supplemented by about half a ton of artificial manure, largely made up of a mixture of superphosphate and some nitrogenous manure.”
Formssprat(plural) · sprats(plural) · sprats(present, singular, third-person) · spratting(participle, present) · spratted(participle, past) · spratted(past)