Named after Sardinia, where the fish were abundant — the same island that gave us 'sardonic' (from a Sardinian poison that caused death-grins).
A small, oily fish of the herring family, often tinned tightly packed.
From Latin 'sardina,' named after the island of Sardinia where these fish were abundant. The island itself may take its name from a pre-Indo-European word. Sardines and the 'sardonic' grin both trace back
Sardinia gave English both a fish and a death grin. 'Sardines' are named for the island. 'Sardonic' (grimly mocking) also comes from Sardinia — the Greeks described a Sardinian plant ('herba Sardonia') that caused facial convulsions resembling a bitter grin in those who ate it. The Carthaginians