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mackerel

Etymology and origin of the English word mackerel

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmæk(ə)ɹəl/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English makerel, borrowed from Old French maquerel (“mackerel”),[2][3][4][5][6] of uncertain origin.[3][4] It seems to be the same word as Old French maquerel “pimp, procurer”,[3][4][6] from a Germanic source related to Middle Dutch makelaer (“broker”),[3][4][6] perhaps from a medieval belief about the fish's mating habits;[4][6] Etymonline also suggests a link with Latin macula “spot”, from the fish's markings.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The sea fish Scomber scombrus, common as food (c. 1300);[7][3][4] it is found earlier as a surname (1183).[3]

Semantic evolution

The fish approaches the shore in shoals in summer to spawn.[7][4] The name was extended with qualifying words to other fishes of the family, such as the Spanish mackerel and horse mackerel.[7][2] A mackerel sky is a sky of rippled cloud like the markings on the fish's back.[1] The exclamation holy mackerel dates from 1899.[7] The unrelated sense “pimp, bawd” was used in English from 1426.[7][4]

Timeline

  • 1183 – as a surname.[3]
  • c. 1300 – the fish.[7][3][4]
  • 1426 – a pimp or bawd (obsolete).[7][4]
  • 1899 – holy mackerel.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A food fish, Scomber scombrus, of the North Atlantic, green with dark wavy bars on the back and a silvery belly.
  2. Any of various related or similar fishes, such as the Spanish mackerel and king mackerel.

Word family

  • holy mackerel
  • mackerel sky
  • tuna
  • bonito
  • herring

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Mackerel.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/mackerel. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·