From Middle English schold, scholde, from Old English sċeald (“shallow”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *skalidaz, past participle of *skaljaną (“to go dry, dry up, become shallow”), from *skalaz (“parched, shallow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to dry out”). Cognate with Low German Scholl (“shallow water”), German schal (“stale, flat, vapid”). Compare shallow.
Meanings
(archaic) Shallow.
But that part of the coast being shoal and bare, / And rough with reefs which ran out many a mile, / His port lay on the other side o' the isle. 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, III.19:
shoal water
All told, we had scarce two miles to run; but the navigation was delicate, the entrance to this northern anchorage was not only narrow and shoal, but lay east and west, so that the schooner must be nicely handled to be got in. 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island:
From Middle English schold, scholde, from Old English sċeald (“shallow”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *skalidaz, past participle of *skaljaną (“to go dry, dry up, become shallow”), from *skalaz (“parched, shallow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to dry out”). Cognate with Low German Scholl (“shallow water”), German schal (“stale, flat, vapid”). Compare shallow.
Meanings
A sandbank or sandbar creating a shallow.
The god himself with ready trident stands, / And opes the deep, and spreads the moving sands, / Then heaves them off the shoals. 1697, Virgil, “Aeneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
A shallow in a body of water.
Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory, / And sounded all the depths and shoals of honour. 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
The depth of your pond should be six feet; and on the sides some shoals for the fish to sun themselves in and to lay their spawn. 1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC:
mk плитак (sandbank) · pt banco de areia (sandbank) · hu zátony (sandbank) · sh sprud (sandbank) · mi pāti (a shallow) · es bajo (sandbank) · sh plićak (a shallow) · kk қайраң (sandbank) · nl zandbank (sandbank) · la pulvīnus (sandbank) · es bajío (a shallow) · sh pličina (a shallow) · es banco de arena (sandbank) · sv sandbank (sandbank) · ru о́тмель (sandbank) · ko 사주 (sandbank) · hu turzás (sandbank) · cs mělčina (a shallow) · it banco di sabbia (sandbank) · grc τέναγος (a shallow) · fr banc de sable (sandbank) · eo sablobenko (sandbank) · es arricete (sandbank) · gl banco de area (sandbank) · ga oitir (sandbank) · ig ubòm (sandbank) · gl brica (sandbank) · sh спруд (sandbank) · fi matalikko (a shallow) · cs mělčina (sandbank) · gl sirte (sandbank) · ru ба́нка (sandbank) · ja 浅瀬 (sandbank) · no sandbanke (sandbank) · fi särkkä (sandbank) · da revle (sandbank) · enm schold (a shallow) · ru мель (sandbank) · bg банка (sandbank) · gd oitir (sandbank) · eo sablejo (sandbank) · gsw Gelungg (a shallow) · el ρηχά (sandbank) · de Sandbank (sandbank) · ko 모래톱 (sandbank) · el ύφαλος (sandbank) · tfn dash (a shallow) · ru мелково́дье (sandbank) · es bajío (sandbank) · gl taro (sandbank) · cs písčina (sandbank) · mi tāhuna (sandbank) · es restringa (sandbank) · he שרטון (sandbank) · es restinga (sandbank) · fa سنار (sandbank) · mi tārake (sandbank) · gl barra (sandbank) · it secca (sandbank) · es sirte (sandbank) · mi matatāhuna (sandbank) · bg плитчина (a shallow) · cmn 淺灘 /浅滩 (sandbank) · tl batuharang (sandbank) · gl restinga (sandbank) · es médano (sandbank) · ga scairbh (sandbank)
From Middle English schold, scholde, from Old English sċeald (“shallow”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *skalidaz, past participle of *skaljaną (“to go dry, dry up, become shallow”), from *skalaz (“parched, shallow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to dry out”). Cognate with Low German Scholl (“shallow water”), German schal (“stale, flat, vapid”). Compare shallow.
Meanings
To arrive at a shallow (or less deep) area.
(transitive) To cause a shallowing; to come to a more shallow part of.
Noting the rate at which she shoals her water -[…] 1859, Matthew Fontaine Maury, Explanations and Sailing Directions to Accompany the Wind and Current Charts:
1570, presumably from Middle English *schole (“school of fish”), from Old English sċeolu, sċolu (“troop or band of people, host, multitude, division of army, school of fish”), from Proto-West Germanic *skolu, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to divide, split, separate”).
Cognate with West Frisian skoal (“shoal”), Middle Low German schōle (“multitude, troop”), Dutch school (“shoal of fishes”). Doublet of school.
Meanings
Any large number of persons or things.
great shoals of people 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Vicissitude of Things”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
Shoals of tourists
(collective) A large number of fish (or other sea creatures) of the same species swimming together.
He came directly from the shoal which we had just before entered, and in which we had struck three of his companions, as if fired with revenge for their sufferings. 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick:
c. 1661, Edmund Waller, On St. James's Park
Beneath, a shoal of silver fishes glides.
1570, presumably from Middle English *schole (“school of fish”), from Old English sċeolu, sċolu (“troop or band of people, host, multitude, division of army, school of fish”), from Proto-West Germanic *skolu, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to divide, split, separate”).
Cognate with West Frisian skoal (“shoal”), Middle Low German schōle (“multitude, troop”), Dutch school (“shoal of fishes”). Doublet of school.