albacore

noun

al·​ba·​core ˈal-bə-ˌkȯr How to pronounce albacore (audio)
variants or albacore tuna
plural albacore or albacores or albacore tuna or albacore tunas
1
: a large tuna (Thunnus alalunga) of temperate and subtropical oceans that has long pectoral fins, that is dark blue with a gray to silvery-white belly, that may reach a length of 50 inches (127 centimeters), and that is a source of canned tuna
Typically albacore are found between 40 to 80 miles offshore, but they can be even farther out depending on water surface temperatures.Luke Whittaker
With their streamlined, torpedo-shaped bodies and high metabolisms, albacore tuna can swim at speeds upward of 30 mph …Dave Gershman and Ray Clarke
also : the flesh of albacore especially when canned for use as food
One cup of albacore, canned in water, will contain 5 grams of fat, of which 0.15 grams will be omega-3 fatty acids and 0.1 grams will be omega-6 fatty acids. Ed Blonz
2
: any of several tuna related to the albacore see also false albacore

Illustration of albacore

Illustration of albacore

Examples of albacore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For some individual predators, such as albacore and bluefin tunas, this adjustment increased risk by over 36%. Heather Welch, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2024 Lastly, a woman ordered a pricey ash tray from Saks Fifth Avenue, only to receive in the mail a can of albacore tuna. Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 16 Feb. 2024 Pinky’s Uptown Tuna Melt comes with albacore tuna salad that includes mayo, wasabi and ginger, plus Swiss and American cheese on Texas toast. Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024 That said, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, a handful of mahi mahi are caught by anglers targeting albacore in the open ocean near the Evergreen State each summer. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 31 Aug. 2023 Fragrant leche de tigre clings to albacore ceviche. Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 13 Sep. 2023 The boat was targeting albacore by trolling a plastic squid spread 42 miles off the coast of southwest Washington. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 31 Aug. 2023 Advertisement For instance, during the heat waves of 2014 and 2015, bluefin and albacore tuna moved northwest. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2023 For seafood lovers, there’s a lobster omelet ($22), albacore tuna sandwich ($15) salmon with cannelini bean salad and kale ($30). Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'albacore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from 16th-century Portuguese albaquora, albecora, of obscure origin

Note: Traditionally Portuguese and Spanish albacora and its Romance congeners have been taken as loans from an Arabic collocation al-bakūra "the albacore." The fish word would supposedly be derived from the Arabic root b-k-r, seen in bikr "first-born," bakr "young camel," on the assumption that it originally alluded to young tuna. As noted in the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, the existence of such a word for the fish in Arabic, recorded only by a Spanish-speaking missionary to Morocco in the nineteenth century, is questionable. Oxford takes the earliest attestation of albacora in Romance to be Italian albacore (plural) in Antonio Pigafetta's Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo, dated "ante 1525"; note, however, that this word is apparently only attested in a single manuscript of the Relazione (Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, L 103 sup.), of uncertain date and relation to Pigafetta's original text, which has not survived. For further etymological speculation see the Oxford English Dictionary.

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of albacore was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near albacore

Cite this Entry

“Albacore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/albacore. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

albacore

noun
al·​ba·​core ˈal-bə-ˌkō(ə)r How to pronounce albacore (audio)
-ˌkȯ(ə)r
plural albacore or albacores
: a large tuna with long pectoral fins that is the source of most canned tuna

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