You've probably heard the term "school of fish", but do you know why the collective noun for fish is school? The term derives from Old Dutch, where the word schole means multitude. The similar use of the word shoal to describe a group of fish has similar origins.

There are other, less common, collective nouns used to describe groups of fish. Have you heard of any of these?

A school of fish is the most common collective noun used for a group of fish. It refers to any group of fish swimming together, regardless of the species.

A shoal of fish is a term used to describe a large group of fish swimming close together in the same direction.

A swarm of fish refers to a group of fish that are densely packed together and moving quickly.

A run of fish refers to a group of fish that are migrating together, usually for spawning or feeding purposes. This is used for spawning salmon, who form a run of salmon.

Pod is used to describe a group of larger animals swimming together, as in a pod of dolphins, or a pod of whales, or a pod of orcas.

Other, self-explanatory examples of collective nouns for fish and friends:

• An aggregation of manatees
• A bale of turtles
• A company of angelfish
• A consortium of crabs
• A battery of barracudas
• A bed of oysters
• A cloud of minnows
• A fever of stingrays
• A flock of parrotfish
• A flotilla of swordfish
• A fry of eels
• A galaxy of starfish
• A glide of flying fish
• A glint of koi
• A herd of seahorses
• A pack of perch
• A smack of jellyfish
• A squad of squid
• A troubling of goldfish
• A troupe of shrimp

A pack of sardines is a different kind of expression. While it may look like a collective noun for sardines, it actually refers to a group, usually of humans, gathered together in a very tight space. When you are among a large crowd in a small area, you might feel like a sardine inside a tin pack!