whiting

¹ American  

[hwahy-ting, wahy-] / ˈʰwaɪ tɪŋ, ˈwaɪ- /

noun

whiting, plural whitings plural

1. a slender food fish of the genus Menticirrhus, of the croaker family, inhabiting waters along the Atlantic coast of North America.

2. the hake, Merluccius bilinearis.

3. any of several European fishes of the cod family, especially Merlangus merlangus.

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whiting ² American  

[hwahy-ting, wahy-] / ˈʰwaɪ tɪŋ, ˈwaɪ- /

noun

1. pure-white chalk (calcium carbonate) that has been ground and washed, used in making putty, whitewash, silver polish, etc.

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whiting ¹ British  

/ ˈwaɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. an important gadoid food fish, Merlangius (or Gadus ) merlangus, of European seas, having a dark back with silvery sides and underparts

2. any of various similar fishes, such as Merluccius bilinearis, a hake of American Atlantic waters, and any of several Atlantic sciaenid fishes of the genus Menticirrhus

3. any of several marine food fishes of the genus Sillago

4. another name for bib

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whiting ² British  

/ ˈwaɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called: whitening.  white chalk that has been ground and washed, used in making whitewash, metal polish, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• whiting
  plural
• whitings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of whiting¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, perhaps alteration of Old English hwītling a kind of fish; compare Middle Dutch witinc, of which the English may be a translation

Origin of whiting²

1400–50; late Middle English; compare Old English hwīting-, in hwītingmelu; see meal ². See white, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

whiting whitings

The wild fish studied included Pacific and Peruvian anchoveta, and Atlantic herring, mackerel, sprat and blue whiting -- which are all marketed and consumed as seafood.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2024

The species that are most frequently parasitised include salmon, tuna, squid, cod, hake, mackerel, mackerel, horse mackerel, blue whiting, sardines and anchovies.

From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2023

The fried whiting has my name on it.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 12, 2022

It said the fish were blue whiting, a rare species subject to quotas.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2022

"A pity it did not fall a bit to the left. You'd have saved me the trouble of whiting my face for today's performance."

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

Photographs of shrimp boats and fishermen with their splendid catches of blues and whitings lined the walls from top to bottom.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

There were several whitings, many being of very large size, four times that of the familiar tail-biting gentlemen who are curled up among the parsley upon our tables.

From Menhardoc by Staniland, C.J.

Boil six whitings and a large eel, in as much water as will cover them, after being well cleaned.

From The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, Adapted to the Use of Private Families by Eaton, Mary, fl. 1823-1849

Thus do antiquaries, like whitings, prey upon each other, illustrating their own proverb, Mercantia non vuol ni amici ni parenti.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 367, May 1846 by Various

“There’s nobut four whitings here, Mistress: shouldn’t there be five?”

From It Might Have Been The Story of the Gunpowder Plot by Irwin, M. (Madelaine)