n. [ From Pick. ]
n. [ Dim. of Pike. ]
Bet [ better ] is, quoth he, a pike than a pickerel. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]
☞ The federation, or chain, pickerel (Esox reticulatus) and the brook pickerel (Esox Americanus) are the most common American species. They are used for food, and are noted for their voracity. About the Great Lakes the pike is called pickerel. [ 1913 Webster ]
Pickerel weed (Bot.),
n. [ Probably a corruption of Pickerel. ] (Zool.) The sauger of the St.Lawrence River. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ From Pick to steal; or perhaps from Pickeer. ] Petty theft. [ Scot. ] Holinshed. [ 1913 Webster ]