whitefish Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun any market fish--edible saltwater fish or shellfish--except herring
noun flesh of salmon-like or trout-like cold-water fish of cold lakes of the northern hemisphere
noun silvery herring-like freshwater food fish of cold lakes of the northern hemisphere

(Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of Coregonus, a genus of excellent food fishes allied to the salmons. They inhabit the lakes of the colder parts of North America, Asia, and Europe. The largest and most important American species (C. clupeiformis) is abundant in the Great Lakes, and in other lakes farther north. Called also lake whitefish, and Oswego bass. (b) The menhaden. (c) The beluga, or white whale. ✍ Various other fishes are locally called whitefish, as the silver salmon, the whiting (a), the yellowtail, and the young of the bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).