cod

[ kod ]

/ kɒd /

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noun, plural (especially collectively) cod, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) cods.

any of several soft-rayed food fishes of the family Gadidae, especially Gadus morhua, of North Atlantic waters.

a closely related fish, Gadus macrocephalus, of the North Pacific Ocean.

any of several unrelated fishes, as rockfishes of the genus Sebastes.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of cod

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; origin uncertain

Other definitions for cod (2 of 4)

cod²

[ kod ]

/ kɒd /

noun

Slang: Vulgar. testicle.

Origin of cod

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English codd; akin to Old Norse koddi “pillow”

Other definitions for cod (3 of 4)

COD.

or cod.

abbreviation

codex.

Other definitions for cod (4 of 4)

C.O.D.

or c.o.d.

abbreviation Commerce.

cash, or collect, on delivery (payment to be made when delivered to the purchaser).

Origin of C.O.D.

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

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

How to use cod in a sentence

The Cods follow them as the bloodhound follows his prey, and their compact masses literally line the shores.
Audubon and his Journals, Vol. 2|Maria R. Audubon
She supped upon salt merling (whiting), pease-cods (green peas), and stewed fruit, and was not sorry to get to bed.
A Forgotten Hero|Emily Sarah Holt
It then passes to the next man, who with a scoop of his hand drops the cods liver in a basket and sends the head and offal flying.
Pike & Cutlass|George Gibbs
In the conjectural illustration a woman is drawing silk thread from the cods; the man is winding the thread on a wooden reel.
A Pictorial Booklet on Early Jamestown Commodities and Industries|J. Paul Hudson

The pensioners were always called cods by the boys, probably short for codgers.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various

British Dictionary definitions for cod (1 of 6)

cod¹

/ (kɒd) /

noun plural cod or cods

any of the gadoid food fishes of the genus Gadus, esp G. morhua (or G. callarias), which occurs in the North Atlantic and has a long body with three rounded dorsal fins: family Gadidae . They are also a source of cod-liver oil

any other fish of the family GadidaeSee gadid

Australian any of various unrelated Australian fish, such as the Murray cod

Word Origin for cod

C13: probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German cutte

British Dictionary definitions for cod (2 of 6)

cod²

/ (kɒd) /

noun

British and US dialect a pod or husk

an obsolete word for scrotum

obsolete a bag or envelope

Word Origin for cod

Old English codd husk, bag; related to Old Norse koddi, Danish kodde

British Dictionary definitions for cod (3 of 6)

cod³

/ (kɒd) /

verb cods, codding or codded (tr)

British and Irish slang to make fun of; tease

British and Irish slang to play a trick on; fool

noun

British and Irish slang a hoax or trick

Irish slang a fraud; hoaxerhe's an old cod

adjective (prenominal)

British slang mock; shamcod Latin

Word Origin for cod

C19: perhaps from earlier cod a fool, perhaps shortened from codger

British Dictionary definitions for cod (4 of 6)

cod⁴

/ (kɒd) /

noun

Northern English dialect a fellow; chaphe's a nice old cod

Word Origin for cod

of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for cod (5 of 6)

Cod

noun

Cape Cod See Cape Cod

British Dictionary definitions for cod (6 of 6)

COD

abbreviation for

cash on delivery

(in the US) collect on delivery

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

Cultural definitions for cod

COD

An abbreviation for “cash on delivery” or “collect on delivery.”