halibut
/ˈhæ.lɪ.bət/ noun
Forms halibuts hallibut holibut halibutt holibutt
- noun A large flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus, which sometimes leaves the ocean floor and swims vertically.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English halibut, equivalent to holy + butt (“flatfish”), since the fish was often eaten on holy days. Cognate with Dutch heilbot, German Heiligbutt, Heilbutt, Heilbutte, Danish helleflynder, Swedish helgeflundra, and Norwegian Nynorsk hellefisk.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A large, northern, marine flatfish (Hippoglossus vulgaris), of the family Pleuronectidæ. It often grows very large, weighing more than three hundred pounds. It is an important food fish. [Written also holibut.]
Etymology [OE. hali holy + but, butte, flounder; akin to D. bot, G. butte; cf. D. heilbot, G. heilbutt. So named as being eaten on holidays. See Holy, Holiday.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “halibut”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details