alec

¹ American  

[al-ik] / ˈæl ɪk /

noun

Obsolete.

1. a herring.

2. a sauce or relish made from small herring or anchovies.

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alec ² American  

[al-ik] / ˈæl ɪk /

noun

Australian.

1. a simpleton or fool.

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Alec ³ American  

[al-ik] / ˈæl ɪk /

Or Aleck

noun

1. a first name, form of Alexander.

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Etymology

Origin of alec¹

1510–20; < Latin ( h ) al ( l ) ec fish sauce

Origin of alec²

1920–25; smart aleck ( def. ); sense shift perhaps originally from ironic usage

Example Sentences

The boss, played by Alec Baldwin, snarls out the “prizes,” making clear nobody wants to get third place.

From The Wall Street Journal

Former captain Michael Vaughan and BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew were among those to question England's decision, while Stokes' team received support from two other ex-England skippers, Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart.

From BBC

Another former England skipper, Alec Stewart, backed Stokes and McCullum to "stick to their guns".

From BBC

Rebecca Pearce, chief executive of Headway Cardiff and South East Wales, put him forward for the award because she had seen "the obstacles and personal battles Alec has had to fight".

From BBC

Zapata is accused of driving a stolen Hyundai sports utility vehicle and colliding with a police cruiser that was being driven by 28-year-old Alec Sanders, an officer with the Alhambra Police Department.

From Los Angeles Times