pogy

pogy (POH-gee, POG-ee) - n., any of about seven species of marine fishes (genera Brevoortia and Ethmidium) fished for fish oil and fish meal, better known as menhaden.


Also, sometimes, alternate form for porgy (another kind of fish) and pogey (Canadian slang for unemployment relief or charitable support in general). Then name is an Americanism from Maine, a shortening of poghaden/paughagen, the Abenaki version of the Algonquian, probably specifically Narragansett, name for the fish (munnawhatteaûg) that gave us menhaden. A Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus):


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---L.