Sushi- What IS sushi?

Decided to do a few sushi recipes. Can't wait till I am employed again and I can actually MAKE some of this food.

For now however, the definition of sushi:

Technically, the word `sushi' refers to the rice, but colloquially, the term is used to describe a finger-size piece of raw fish or shellfish on a bed of vinegared rice. Originally, this started as being a way to preserve fish. In its earliest form, dried fish was placed between two pieces of vinegared rice as a way of making it last. The nori, a seaweed, was added later as a way to keep one's fingers from getting sticky.

Information taken from SushiFAQ.com