I. ˈsärˌdīn, -_d ə n noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin ( lapis ) sardinus Sardian (stone), from Greek sardinos ( lithos ), perhaps from Sardeis Sardis, capital of Lydia
: sard
II. (ˈ)sär|dēn, (ˈ)sȧ|d- noun
( plural sardines also sardine )
Etymology: Middle English sardeine, from Middle French sardine, from Latin sardina, probably from Greek sardinos
1.
a. : any of several small or immature clupeid fishes:
(1) : the young of the European pilchard ( Sardinia pilchardus ) when of a size suitable for preserving for food
(2) : any of various similar young of closely related fishes (as Sardinops caerulea of the Pacific coast of No. America, Sardinella anchovia of the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean area, or Sardinia neopilchardus of Australia and New Zealand)
(3) : any of various small or immature herrings that resemble or are used similarly to the true sardines — compare brisling , sild
b. : a similar but more distantly related fish (as an anchovy) — not used technically and in some jurisdictions not legally acceptable without a qualifying term
2. sardines plural but singular in construction : a game in which one person hides from others who try to find him and the first to do so hides with him, the second hides with the first two, and so on until all are crowded into the hiding spot