capelin

[kap-uh-lin]

noun

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

Also caplin.

Origin of capelin

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for capelin

Historical Examples of capelin

Fish were scarce, capelin never struck in, fur could not be got.
Labrador Days
Wilfred Thomason Grenfell
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

British Dictionary definitions for capelin

capelin

caplin

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