sprat

S1P3R1A1T1
/spɹæt/

noun

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

Similar
brislingClupea sprattus
OriginMiddle English sprotte ← Old English sprot →
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

nounsprat (plural sprat or sprats)

plural sprats

  1. Any of various small, herring-like, marine fish in the genus Sprattus, in the family Clupeidae.
  2. Any of various similar fish of other genera.
  3. broadlyAnything petty or insignificant.
  4. UKobsoleteslangA 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) about twopence.

    1859, Snowden's magistrates assistant, page 90
verbsprat (third-person singular simple present sprats, present participle spratting, simple past and past participle spratted)

present singular third person sprats · participle present spratting · participle past spratted · past spratted

  1. historicaltransitiveTo 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.

    1923, The Agricultural Gazette and Modern Farming, volume 98, page 190

Synonyms & antonyms

nounsmall fatty European fish; usually smoked or canned like sardines

Similar
brisling
Broader
herring

nounsmall herring processed like a sardine

Similar
brislingClupea sprattus
Broader
sardine
Also see
brisling

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Englishsprot
  2. Middle Englishsprotte
  3. Englishsprat

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

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek μαίνη
  • μαίνη (maínē)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Bulgarian ца́ца, трицо́на
  • ца́ца (cáca)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • трицо́на (tricóna)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • ко́пърка (kópărka)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • шпрот (šprot)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Czech šprot
  • šprotany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Dutch sprot
  • sprotany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Esperanto sproto
  • sprotoany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Estonian kilu, sprott
  • kiluany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • sprottany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Finnish kilohaili, anjovis
  • kilohailiany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • anjovisany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • sardelliany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
French sprat
  • spratany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
German Sprotte
  • Sprotteany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Greek παπαλίνα
  • παπαλίνα (papalína)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Hungarian sprotni
  • sprotniany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Indonesian japuh
  • japuhany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Irish bioránach, maghar
  • bioránachany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • magharany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • salánany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • sprotany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • stuifínany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Italian spratto, papalina
  • sprattoany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • papalinaany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Latin maena
  • maenaany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Māori kupae
  • kupaeany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Norwegian Bokmål brisling
  • brislingany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Persian کیلکا
  • کیلکا (kilkâ)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Polish szprot, szprotka
  • szprotany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • szprotkaany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Portuguese espadilha
  • espadilhaany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Romanian sprot
  • sprotany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Russian ки́лька, шпрот
  • ки́лька (kílʹka)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
  • шпрот (šprot)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Scottish Gaelic garbhag
  • garbhagany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Spanish espadín
  • espadínany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Swedish skarpsill
  • skarpsillany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Turkish çaça
  • çaçaany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Welsh corbennog
  • corbennogany of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus
Yiddish שפּראָט
  • שפּראָט (shprot)any of various small marine fish in the genus Sprattus

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with sprat

thatatchatsatflathatmattvatcombatacrobatlatstatnatdatscatMontserratmattewatkatphatprattplattatthermostat
All rhymes →

Anagrams

partsstraptrapsSpart
Cite this entry
APA

sprat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sprat

MLA

“sprat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sprat. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sprat,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sprat.

Source: sprat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.