Meaning

noun a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled

noun pike-like freshwater perches

noun marine fishes widely distributed in mid-waters and deep slope waters

originAttested in American English from 1709 C.E.; possibly derived from an indigenous language of the West Indies or Central America, perhaps Miskito.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0