A small fish or a fishlet; a diminutive or archaic term for a young or insignificant fish.
Compound of 'fish' (Old English 'fisc') with the diminutive suffix '-et' (from Old French '-et'). This is a rare and archaic formation that appears occasionally in older fishing texts and literature.
The suffix '-et' was more productive in Middle English, creating words like 'fishlet' and 'fishkin' — these diminutive words reveal how people personified and infantilized animals, treating small fish almost like pets or children rather than just food.
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