shiner

[ shahy-ner ]

noun

1. a person or thing that shines. shine.
2. Slang. black eye ( def 1 ).
3. any of various small American freshwater fishes having glistening scales, especially a minnow.
4. any of various silvery, marine fishes, as the menhaden or butterfish.
5. a defect in silk or synthetic filament or fabric, produced either in the process of winding or as a result of shuttle friction and appearing on fabric as a shiny streak.

shiner

/ ˈʃaɪnə /

noun

1. something that shines, such as a polishing device
2. any of numerous small North American freshwater cyprinid fishes of the genus Notropis and related genera, such as N. cornutus ( common shiner ) and Notemigonus crysoleucas ( golden shiner )
3. a popular name for the mackerel
4. informal.
   a black eye
5. old-fashioned.
   a vagrant or tramp

Word History and Origins

Origin of shiner¹

1350–1400; 1900–05 shiner fordef 2; Middle English; shine ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

“We call them shiners,” she added, because they catch the eye.

From Seattle Times

Most of them were small species, such as minnows and shiners, but thousands of larger fish, including catfish and carp, also perished.

From New York Times

Anthony Davis has a shiner, and things just got heavier.

From Los Angeles Times

Gay had previously told several different stories about how she got the shiner, but had maintained until recently that she didn’t fully recall the events that led to her injury.

From Los Angeles Times

For a nickel, they had their new leather shoes shined and gave their old ones away to the shoe shiner.

From Literature