bacalao

American  

[bah-kuh-lau, 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.

---

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

“Beñat makes traditional plates with modern touches, working with local products like mushrooms, bacalao and ‘teardrop’ spring peas,” said Mr. Garrido.

From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2022

And tempura de bacalao will be an acquired taste for some.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 27, 2020

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

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2017

That’s just how Mama is—she’s the heart of the neighborhood, pumping stewed chicken, banan pezé, sancocho, bacalao, pastelitos, and black rice to just about every single household on our block.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

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 Robert Kerr

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---