What Animals Form a Bind?
A term for tying knots, borrowed for the fish that actually tie themselves in one.
Which Animals Form a Bind?
“Bind” describes two long, slippery swimmers: eels and salmon. For eels, it’s one of the most fitting collective nouns on this entire site — not a metaphor, but a description of something eels actually do. For salmon, it’s a much rarer alternate to the far more common “run.”
Where Does “Bind” Come From?
“Bind” comes from Old English bindan, meaning to tie or fasten together — a very old, very plain Germanic word with cognates across most European languages. As a collective noun it’s about as literal as this list gets: eels are known to physically tangle themselves into knotted, writhing balls, especially when several individuals are crowded together in a confined space like a trap, a shallow pool, or a bucket. Early naturalists and eel-fishers simply described what they saw — a “bind” of eels really does look bound together.
Bind vs. Knot vs. Ball
Eels collect several literal, physical-description terms rather than the poetic or folkloric ones common elsewhere on this site: “bind,” “knot,” and “ball” are all attested, and all describe the same tangled-together behavior from slightly different angles. “Knot” emphasizes the shape, “ball” emphasizes the density, and “bind” emphasizes the actual binding, tying motion — eels wrapping around one another until they’re difficult to separate by hand.
Animal-by-Animal Breakdown
Eels: “Bind” is a genuine, literal term — used alongside “knot” and “ball” — for the way eels physically tangle themselves together. It’s one of the more accurate collective nouns in English, describing real observed behavior rather than a poetic stretch.
Salmon: Most commonly called a run, referring to their migratory push upstream to spawn, with “shoal” also used for salmon simply swimming together. “Bind” is a much rarer alternate, likely borrowed from the same family of “tied-together” fish terms as eels.
🧠 Test Your Knowledge
Three quick questions. See what stuck.1. Why is “bind” a fitting term for eels?
2. What is the most common collective noun for salmon?
3. Which other term describes the same tangled-eel behavior as “bind”?
Frequently Asked Questions
What animals form a bind?
Eels and salmon are both listed with “bind” as a collective noun, though it’s a much more fitting and common term for eels than for salmon.
Do eels really tie themselves in knots?
Yes. Eels are known to physically tangle together into knotted, writhing balls, especially when crowded together, which is exactly what “bind” describes.
What is the most common collective noun for salmon?
“Run,” referring to their migratory push upstream to spawn, is far more common than “bind” for salmon.
What other terms describe a group of eels?
“Knot” and “ball” are also used, all describing the same tangled-together behavior from slightly different angles.
Where does the word “bind” come from?
From Old English bindan, meaning to tie or fasten together — a very old Germanic word with cognates across most European languages.