Gar
/ɡɑːr/noun
A term for a long, slender freshwater or brackish fish with a hard, armor-like body and elongated jaws.
Did you know?The English name comes through Old English and is ultimately tied to a very old Germanic root meaning a spear, which fits the gar’s long, pointed body and jaws.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gaizaz
“spear”
Old English
OE
gār
“spear; dart; javelin”
Middle English
ME
gar
“spear, pointed thing; later applied to the fish for its shape”
Modern English
English
gar
“a garfish or long-snouted freshwater fish”