capelin

[ kap-uh-lin ]

/ ˈkæp ə lɪn /

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noun

either of two small fishes of the smelt family, Mallotus villosus, of coastal North American waters, or M. catervarius, of the North Pacific.

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Also caplin.

Origin of capelin

1610–20, Americanism;<Middle French capelan<Old Provençal: codfish, literally, chaplain

Words nearby capelin

Cape Horn Current, Cape Horn fever, Cape jasmine, Čapek, capelet, capelin, capeline, Capella, capelli d'angelo, capellini, capellmeister

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use capelin in a sentence

Humpback whales congregate in these areas to feed upon the summer blooms of euphausiids, herring, and capelin.
Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska|United States Department of Commerce, Marine Mammal Commission
Minke whales feed primarily on small shoal fish (herring, cod, pollack, and capelin).
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood
Spring and summer concentrations along the Canadian coast correspond to concentrations of capelin, cod, and herring.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood
Belugas feed on a variety of fishes (including cod and capelin), on squid, and on a variety of benthic crustaceans.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood

Malcolm had many friends and there had been great preparations in Capelin Bay.
Labrador Days|Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

British Dictionary definitions for capelin

capelin

caplin

/ (ˈkæpəlɪn) /

noun

a small marine food fish, Mallotus villosus, occurring in northern and Arctic seas: family Osmeridae (smelts)

Word Origin for capelin

C17: from French capelan, from Old Provençal, literally: chaplain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012