whitebait

[ hwahyt-beyt, wahyt- ]

/ ˈʰwaɪtˌbeɪt, ˈwaɪt- /

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noun, plural white·bait.

a young sprat or herring.

Cooking. any small, delicate fish cooked whole without being cleaned, especially the sprat.

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Origin of whitebait

First recorded in 1750–60; white + bait, so called from use as bait

Words nearby whitebait

white area, white as a sheet, white ash, White Australia policy, white bacon, whitebait, white bass, whitebeam, white bear, whitebeard, White Bear Lake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use whitebait in a sentence

These worms were generally grilled on hot stones, and eaten several at a time like small whitebait.
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont|Louis de Rougemont
Also deviled whitebait; also shrimps of choice quality; and a platter of small soft-shell crabs of a most superior breed.
Life On The Mississippi, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Never mind the whitebait now, sweet'eart, when we're going to be spliced this afternoon.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, April 29, 1914|Various
Consomm and whitebait, bœuf rti and haricots vert and crme de crises succeeded one another in deepening gloom.
The Palace of Darkened Windows|Mary Hastings Bradley

They also caught Margaret with a lot of other whitebait; and she was eaten by a barrister at "Claridge's."
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 159, September 15, 1920|Various

British Dictionary definitions for whitebait

whitebait

/ (ˈwaɪtˌbeɪt) /

noun

the young of herrings, sprats, etc, cooked and eaten whole as a delicacy

any of various small silvery fishes, such as Galaxias attenuatus of Australia and New Zealand and Allosmerus elongatus of North American coastal regions of the Pacific

Word Origin for whitebait

C18: from its formerly having been used as bait

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