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fishhook

noun, verb — 4 senses

fishhook

noun

/ˈfɪʃˌhʊk/

Etymology From Middle English fisch-hook, from Old English *fischōc (“fishhook”), equivalent to fish + hook. Cognate with Dutch vishaak (“fishhook”). In the sense of a jack (playing card), refers to the shape of the letter J on the card.

1

A barbed hook, usually metal, used for fishing.

  • The two basic types of fishhooks are almost equally represented within the site, with composite fishhooks exhibiting only a slightly higher relative frequency than that of bentwoods.1980, Dale R. Croes, Eric Blinman, editors, Hoko River: A 2500 Year Old Fishing Camp on the Northwest Coast of North America (Reports of Investigations (Washington State University. Laboratory of Anthropology); 58), Pullman, Wash.: Laboratory of Anthropology, Washington State University, →OCLC, page 141:
  • Others sprint off and take position — their jackal ears fully erect, their fishhook tails twitching like flags in a stiff wind.2013 July 15, Jack Hitt, “DNA Backs Lore on Pre-Columbian Dogs”, in The New York Times:
2

Card games, Games Slang A jack (type of playing card).

Derived terms
fishhook flea, fishhook theory

fishhook

verb

Etymology From Middle English fisch-hook, from Old English *fischōc (“fishhook”), equivalent to fish + hook. Cognate with Dutch vishaak (“fishhook”). In the sense of a jack (playing card), refers to the shape of the letter J on the card.

1

To impale with a fishhook.

2

To bend back on itself like a fishhook.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.