TRAWL

trawl, dragnet, trawl net

(noun) a conical fishnet dragged through the water at great depths

trawl, trawl line, spiller, setline, trotline

(noun) a long fishing line with many shorter lines and hooks attached to it (usually suspended between buoys)

trawl

(verb) fish with trawlers

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

trawl (plural trawls)

A net or dragnet used for trawling. [from the 16th c.]

A long fishing line having many short lines bearing hooks attached to it; a setline.

Verb

trawl (third-person singular simple present trawls, present participle trawling, simple past and past participle trawled)

(ambitransitive) To take (fish or other marine animals) with a trawl.

(intransitive) To fish from a slow-moving boat.

(intransitive) To make an exhaustive search for something within a defined area.

Source: Wiktionary

Trawl, v. i. Etym: [OF. trauler, troller, F. trôter, to drag about, to stroll about; probably of Teutonic origin. Cf. Troll, v. t.]

Definition: To take fish, or other marine animals, with a trawl.

Trawl, n.

1. A fishing line, often extending a mile or more, having many short lines bearing hooks attached to it. It is used for catching cod, halibut, etc.; a boulter. [U. S. & Canada]

2. A large bag net attached to a beam with iron frames at its ends, and dragged at the bottom of the sea, -- used in fishing, and in gathering forms of marine life from the sea bottom.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition