English Explanatory Dictionary

halibut

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A large flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus, which sometimes leaves the ocean floor and swims vertically.

Pronunciation

/ˈhæ.lɪ.bət/ /ˈhɒ.lɪ.bət/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-halibut.wav

Word forms

halibut halibuts hallibut holibut halibutt holibutt

Etymology

From Middle English *halibutt, equivalent to holy + but (“flatfish”), since the fish was often eaten on holy days. Cognate with Dutch heilbot, German Heiligbutt, Heilbutt, Heilbutte, Danish helleflynder, Swedish helgeflundra, and Norwegian Nynorsk hellefisk.

Derived words

Atlantic halibut bastard halibut California halibut Greenland halibut halibuter haliver oil Monterey halibut Pacific halibut
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on H Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary