capelin

American  

[kap-uh-lin] / ˈkæp ə lɪn /

noun

1. 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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capelin British  

/ ˈkæpəlɪn /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of capelin

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

Example Sentences

The dove-sized marbled murrelet spends most of its time in coastal waters eating krill, other invertebrates and forage fish such as herring, anchovies, smelt and capelin.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2024

Her research focuses on the microbiomes of Arctic species and how they connect to traditional Greenlandic food culture via the transference of microbial communities—from capelin fish, through seals to humans, for example.

From National Geographic • Jan. 25, 2024

“We feed her as much as she wants to eat — anywhere from four to 10 herring, trout and capelin on an average day,” she said.

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2023

But other fish — such as Arctic cod, capelin and flatfish — evolved to thrive in this environment, with the cold pool serving as a protective barrier.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2021

A similar abandonment of a prime feeding area, the Grand Banks, was observed for the Northwest Atlantic humpback population and was thought to be associated with the overfishing of capelin stocks there.

From Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska by Commerce, United States Department of