Shoaling

shoal ¹  (shl)

n.

1. A shallow place in a body of water.

2. A sandy elevation of the bottom of a body of water, constituting a hazard to navigation; a sandbank or sandbar.

v. shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals

v.intr.

To become shallow: The river shoals suddenly here from eight to two fathoms.

v.tr.

1. To make shallow: The approach to the harbor was shoaled in the storm.

2. To come or sail into a shallower part of.

adj.

Having little depth; shallow.

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[Middle English shold, shallow, shallows, from Old English sceald, shallow.]

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shoal ²  (shl)

n.

1. A large group; a crowd.

2. A large school of fish or other marine animals.

intr.v. shoaled, shoal·ing, shoals

To come together in large numbers; throng.

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[Probably Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schle; see skel-¹ in Indo-European roots.]