halibut

[hal-uh-buh t, hol-]

noun, plural (especially collectively) hal·i·but, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) hal·i·buts.

either of two large flatfishes, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, of the North Atlantic, or H. stenolepis, of the North Pacific, used for food.

any of various other similar flatfishes.

Also holibut.

Origin of halibut

1350–1400; Middle English halybutte, equivalent to haly (variant of holy) + butte flat fish (< MD); so called because eaten on holy days. Compare Dutch heilbot, German Heilbutt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for halibut

Contemporary Examples of halibut

Norway served a delectable North Atlantic halibut confit with smoked purée celeriac, sunchoke, and cured game meat.
Countries Face Off in D.C. Food Fight
William O’Connor
May 16, 2014
She says that the president had steak, the first lady had halibut.
My Martha's Vineyard Close Encounter
Patricia J. Williams
August 29, 2009
Recipe Jean-Georges is a legend for many reasons: this halibut recipe is one of them.
Fresh Picks
David Myers
August 18, 2009
Halibut, striped bass, and black bass are other good choices.
Salt Cod, Scampi, Filet of Grouper
The Daily Beast
December 23, 2008

Historical Examples of halibut

Cut your halibut into steaks or cutlets about an inch thick.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
When a chap has been skinnin' halibut, minnows are too small for him to bother with.
The Depot Master
Joseph C. Lincoln
Save for Harvey's halibut, there was nothing over fifteen pounds on deck.
"Captains Courageous"
Rudyard Kipling
And he met some enormous fishes, like great cod or halibut, they seemed.
The Magic World
Edith Nesbit
Wipe a small piece of halibut, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
The Starvation Treatment of Diabetes
Lewis Webb Hill

British Dictionary definitions for halibut

halibut

holibut (ˈhɒlɪbət)

noun plural -buts or -but

the largest flatfish: a dark green North Atlantic species, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, that is a very important food fish: family Pleuronectidae

any of several similar and related flatfishes, such as Reinhardtius hippoglossoides (Greenland halibut)

Word Origin for halibut

C15: from hali holy (because it was eaten on holy days) + butte flat fish, from Middle Dutch butte

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

Word Origin and History for halibut

large flatfish, early 15c., perhaps from hali "holy" (see holy) + butte "flatfish;" supposedly so called from its being eaten on holy days (cf. cognate Dutch heilbot, Low German heilbutt, Swedish helgeflundra, Danish helleflynder). For second element see butt (n.4).