capelin Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun very small northern fish; forage for sea birds and marine mammals and other fishes
    caplin; capelan.

WordNet

Cape"lin noun
Etymology
Cf. F. capelan, caplan.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A small marine fish (Mallotus villosus) of the family Salmonidæ, very abundant on the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland, and Alaska. It is used as a bait for the cod. Written also capelan and caplin. ✍ This fish, which is like a smelt, is called by the Spaniards anchova, and by the Portuguese capelina. Fisheries of U. S. (1884).

Webster 1913