cod

play

noun \ ˈkäd \

Definition of cod

plural cod also cods

1 :any of various bottom-dwelling fishes (family Gadidae, the cod family) that usually occur in cold marine waters and often have barbels and three dorsal fins: such as

a :one (Gadus morhua) of the North Atlantic that is an important food fish

b :one (Gadus macrocephalus) of the Pacific Ocean

2 :any of various bony fishes resembling the true cods

See cod defined for English-language learners

See cod defined for kids

Recent Examples of cod from the Web

Soaring ceilings and white leather booths over more excitement than the menu: Black cod arrives expertly poached, but its curry sauce tastes like creamer.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "4 New Restaurants to Try Right Now," 28 Aug. 2017
One of the best things on offer is the ceviche from Mazunte: nothing but protein-rich cod marinated in lime juice with bits of jalapeno and tomato.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "Serving tennis balls and food at Western & Southern Open," 14 Aug. 2017
But the people who munched on that dried cod roughly 1,000 years ago were living under Danish rule in a cosmopolitan port city.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "1,000-year-old German dinner reveals long-distance Viking trade routes," 7 Aug. 2017
Book a private dinner in the estate’s blue-tiled dining room for regional specialties like sopa alentejana de tomate (tomato bread soup) and bacalhau fresco (fresh cod) paired with the estate’s wines.

— laura giannatempo, CNT, "Why You Should Visit Alentejo, Portugal's Underrated Wine Region," 21 July 2017
King Cove officials keep a list of the medical evacuations by plane or boat to Cold Bay, an exhaustive catalogue of suffering and treatment delays for problems like fractures, heart problems and a fisherman crushed by a 600-pound cod trap.

— nathaniel herz, Alaska Dispatch News, "Can the isolated Alaska Peninsula town of King Cove get its road under the Trump administration?," 18 July 2017
Many biologists point to hake, a silver-gray fish similar to cod, as the main predator.

— rocky barker, idahostatesman, "Northwest salmon, the stuff of legends, still struggle to survive. Can we save them — and at what price?," 8 July 2017
In other parts of the world, catch rates for species like cod and rockfish have fallen by 50 to 70 percent in the days after seismic tests.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump to Prioritize Underwater Oil Drilling Over Protecting the Basis of All Ocean Life," 6 July 2017
In other parts of the world, catch rates for species like cod and rockfish have fallen by 50 to 70 percent in the days after seismic tests.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "The Bipartisan Fight for Quieter Oceans," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cod.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cod

Middle English

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

cod

abbreviation

Definition of cod

codex

See cod defined for kids

COD

abbreviation

Definition of COD

cash on delivery; collect on delivery

See COD defined for English-language learners

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

COD Defined for English Language Learners

cod

play

noun

Definition of cod for English Language Learners

: a large fish that lives in the northern Atlantic Ocean and is often eaten as food

cod

noun

Definition of cod for English Language Learners

: a large fish that lives in the northern Atlantic Ocean and is often eaten as food

COD Defined for Kids

cod

play

noun \ ˈkäd \

Definition of cod for Students

plural cod

:a large fish found in the deep colder parts of the northern Atlantic Ocean and often used for food

COD

abbreviation

Definition of COD for Students

1 cash on delivery

2 collect on delivery

Medical Dictionary

cod

play

noun \ ˈkäd \

medical Definition of cod

plural cod also cods

:any of various bottom-dwelling fishes (family Gadidae, the cod family) that usually occur in cold marine waters and often have barbels and three dorsal fins: as

a :one (Gadus morhua) of the North Atlantic that is an important food fish

b :one (Gadus macrocephalus) of the Pacific Ocean