bacalao

American  

[bah-kuh-lou, bak-uh-, bah-kah-lah-aw] / ˌbɑ kəˈlaʊ, ˌbæk ə-, ˌbɑ kɑˈlɑ ɔ /

noun

Spanish or Spanish-American Cooking.

bacalaos plural

1. codfish, especially when dried and salted.

2. a dish of this, cooked with a tomato sauce, olives, garlic, etc.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bacalaos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bacalao

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish bacal(l)ao, probably from Basque bakaiļao, perhaps, by metathesis, from Gascon, the presumed source of Old French cabellau, cabillau ( French cabillaud ) “fresh codfish,” equivalent to Gascon cabilh, cabelh (diminutive of cap “head”) + a suffix, alluding to the fish's prominent head; though Medieval Latin (Flanders) cabellauwus, the earliest attestation of the form (compare Middle Dutch cab(b)eliau, Dutch kabeljauw ) suggests a non-Romance, northern European origin; see chief

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bacalao bacalaos

But they jumped when, after plates of bacalao and glasses of white wine had been cleared, Ms. Mendieta checked her phone and exclaimed, “Oh my god!”

From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2024

The menu, from Mr. Matheu, includes pintxos, like piquillo peppers stuffed with bacalao, croquetas, charcuterie and small plates of meatballs in tomato sauce and squid in ink.

From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2022

Having grown up around fishermen, Bugge says bacalao cakes were among the first things he learned to make.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2017

The bread gracefully absorbs and retains any of Cook's fillings, especially its torta de bacalao.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2014

For appetizers, we made plantain chips, crispy yucca fries, and bacalao fritters.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

It abounds in fish of great size, as seawolves, or seals, salmon, and soles above a yard long; but chiefly in immense quantities of that kind which is vulgarly called bacalaos.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 03 Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time by Kerr, Robert