[shad] 
) shad, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) shads. | 1. | a deep-bodied herring, Alosa sapidissima, of Europe and North America, that migrates up streams to spawn, used for food. |
| 2. | any other fish of the genus Alosa or related genera. |
| 3. | any of several unrelated fishes. |
| shad (shād) n. pl. shad or shads Any of several food fishes of the genus Alosa, especially the North American species A. sapidissima, related to the herrings but atypical in swimming up streams from marine waters to spawn. [Middle English *schad, from Old English sceadd.] |
