English

Noun

A fishplate joining two sections of bullhead rail

fishplate ‎(plural fishplates)

1. (rail transport) A metal bar that is bolted to the ends of two rails to join them together in a track.
   • 1901, Gipps, George, The Fighting in North China (up to the Fall of Tientsin City), Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh, OL 23299616M, page 40:

     The train, minus the three abandoned trucks, again proceeded at a slow pace, with a pump trolley doing pilot ahead ; this was very necessary as a great many sleepers were found to have been burnt underneath the fishplates.

Verb

fishplate ‎(third-person singular simple present fishplates, present participle fishplating, simple past and past participle fishplated)

1. (transitive, rail transport) To connect (rails) together using a fishplate.