English Reference

Word

haddock

Phoneticshad·dock

US/ˈhædək/

UK/hˈædək/

Definitions

01the fish

B2

n. a large sea fish from the North Atlantic that is very popular as food.

n. a North Atlantic gadoid food fish, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, distinguished by a dark lateral line and a dark spot above the pectoral fin.

“We had fresh haddock and chips for dinner at the seaside restaurant.”

“The local fishing fleet reported a significant increase in haddock stocks this season, leading to lower market prices for the consumer.”

02the meat/food

B2 · Cooking

n. the white meat of the haddock fish, often sold fresh, frozen, or smoked.

n. the flesh of the haddock used as food, typically prepared by poaching, frying, or smoking.

“Smoked haddock has a very strong and salty flavour compared to fresh fish.”

“The chef prepared a traditional Cullen Skink, a thick Scottish soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions.”

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the meat as food.

Etymology

From Middle English haddok. Compare Anglo-Norman hadoc from Old French hadot, probably from an English source. Further origin uncertain, but hadot could have evolved from (h)adoux, (h)adoz, from adoub, from adouber, adober (“to prepare”), cognate with Italian addobbare (“to souse fish or meat”). The spelling is usually regarded as a diminutive in -ok (see -ock).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

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