What does gunnel mean?
Gunnel most commonly denotes a small, elongated fish of the northern Atlantic, a member of the family Pholidae. In contemporary English, the word is especially associated with the species commonly called the butterfish, a bottom-dwelling marine fish found around the British Isles and northeastern North America. Its older sense for a small, narrow boat is now archaic, but it helps explain why the modern name can be mistaken for gunwale. Gunnel is therefore primarily a specialist natural-history and regional food-fishing term rather than a general everyday word. It is distinctive and worth knowing because it names a fish with a long, slender body while also preserving a trace of older nautical vocabulary.
nounA small, elongated marine fish of the northern Atlantic, belonging to the family Pholidae and commonly called a butterfish. In older usage, the word also referred to a small, narrow boat.
- A small, elongated marine fish of the northern Atlantic, of the family Pholidae, especially the species commonly called a butterfish.
- An archaic term for a small, narrow boat.
"The guide pointed out a gunnel hiding among the rocks at the edge of the tide pool."
"A gunnel moved across the bottom of the aquarium, its long body pressed against the sand."
"In the old account, the crew launched a gunnel and rowed across the narrow channel."
The standard plural for the noun, whether referring to the fish or, archaically, to small boats.
"Several gunnels were released back into the shallow water."
Gunnel sounds like a piece of a boat, but its familiar meaning is a slender northern Atlantic fish also known as a butterfish.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gunnel come from?
The word gunnel is an old English form recorded for both a northern Atlantic fish and a small, narrow boat. Its precise source and the separate historical development of these two senses are uncertain, so it is safest not to assign them to a particular language or cognate family without further specialist evidence.
How gunnel is actually used
In modern use, gunnel usually refers to the northern Atlantic fish and has the formal register of a natural-history or fishing term. The sense meaning a small, narrow boat is archaic and may be encountered in older British writing. It should not be confused with gunwale, the upper edge of a boat's side.
Easily confused with gunnel
A gunnel is a small northern Atlantic fish, whereas a gunwale is the upper edge of the side of a boat.