dace
(deɪs)
Also 5 darce, darse, 6 dase.
[ME. darse, etc., a. OF. darz, dars, nom. (and pl.) of dart, from 15th c. dard dart, dace: cf. Cotgr., ‘Dard, a Dart; also, a Dace or Dare fish’; so called from its darting motion: cf. dare.]
1. A small fresh-water cyprinoid fish, Leuciscus vulgaris.
| c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 20 Take Dace, Troutys, and Roche. c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 575 Perche, rooche, darce. 1496 Bk. St. Alban's, Fishing (1810) 36 Another [bayte] for darse & roche & bleke. 1538 Leland Itin. V. 90 Bremes, Pikes, Tenches, Perches and Daces. 1655 Moufet & Bennet Health's Improv. (1746) 271 Daces or Darts, or Dares, be of a sweet Taste, a soft Flesh and good Nourishment. 1802 Bingley Anim. Biog. (1813) III. 84 Dace afford great amusement to the angler. 1833 Lamb Elia, Old Margate Hoy, With no more relish for the sea, than a pond-perch or a dace might be supposed to have. |
b. U.S. Applied locally to other fishes resembling or allied to this: as the genus Rhinichthys, and the redfin, Minnilus cornutus. (Cent. Dict.)
2. Comb., as dace-like.
| 1838 Lytton Alice vi. iv, Stopping Mr. Douce's little..dace-like mouth. |