shoal 1
/shohl/ , n.
1. a place where a sea, river, or other body of water is shallow.
2. a sandbank or sand bar in the bed of a body of water, esp. one that is exposed above the surface of the water at low tide.
adj.
3. of little depth, as water; shallow.
v.i.
4. to become shallow or more shallow.
v.t.
5. to cause to become shallow.
6. Naut. to sail so as to lessen the depth of (the water under a vessel).
[ bef. 900; (adj.) ME (Scots) shald, OE sceald SHALLOW; (n. and v.) deriv. of the adj. ]
Syn. 1. shallow, rapid, riffle. 2. reef.
shoal 2
/shohl/ , n.
1. any large number of persons or things.
2. a school of fish.
v.i.
3. to collect in a shoal; throng.
[ 1570-80; earlier shole, prob. schole, with sound-substitution of sh- for LG skh-; cf. SCHOOL 2 ]