powan

/ ˈpaʊən /

noun

1. a freshwater whitefish, Coregonus clupeoides, occurring in some Scottish lakes
2. any of certain similar related fishes, such as the vendace

Word History and Origins

Origin of powan¹

C17: Scottish variant of pollan

Example Sentences

Then the hapless girl lamented, And bewailed, the copper-belted, Struggled till she broke her fingers, Struggled till her hands were twisted, And she spoke the words which follow: "If you will not now release me, To a lake-fish I'll transform me, In the deepest waves a powan."

From Project Gutenberg

But a salmon-trout o'erheard it, And the powan blue he swallowed.

From Project Gutenberg

Up and down the fish swam turning, Swam for one day and a second, 260 All along the powan's island, Clefts in rocks where flock the salmon, To the points of capes a thousand, Bays among a hundred islands.

From Project Gutenberg

Now the fish were all complaining; Said one pike unto another, And the powan asked the ide-fish, And one salmon asked another: 350 "Can the famous men have perished, Perished Kaleva's great children, They who drag the net of linen, And of yarn have made the fish-net, With long poles who beat the water, With long sticks who move the waters?"

From Project Gutenberg

In the lake as pike when hiding, Powan in slow-flowing river, 220 There misfortune still might find thee, And at last destruction reach thee.

From Project Gutenberg