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cusk

noun
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\ ˈkəsk How to pronounce cusk (audio) \
plural cusk or cusks

Definition of cusk

1 : a large edible North Atlantic fish (Brosme brosme) of the cod family
2 : burbot

Examples of cusk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Nautilus explorers stumbled upon a group of bone-eating worms, cusk eels, and octopi feasting on the skeleton of a baleen whale on the ocean floor near the coast of central California. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "Deep Sea Exploration Uncovers Spooky Sight of Octopus Squad Devouring Whale," 17 Oct. 2019 Part 5 will be an auditory treat featuring the mysterious sounds of the sea, from grunting haddock to singing cusk eels. — Amanda Paulson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Message in a bottle: Forensics meets marine science with eDNA," 15 Aug. 2019 And Mr. Haatuft works only with fishermen who pull in wild creatures like cusk, sea urchins, langoustines and mahogany clams — big specimens with thick brown shells that live for up to 400 years. — Julia Moskin, New York Times, "North of Nordic: A Young Chef Invents ‘Neo-Fjordic’ Cuisine," 18 July 2017 All are apt descriptions for a 19-pound, 11-ounce eelpout (aka burbot, aka lawyer, lingcod, cusk and a host of other unbecoming nicknames) caught by Brent Getzler of Roosevelt. — Dave Orrick, Twin Cities, "Fat burbot: MN man sets record for biggest eelpout. (That’s a fish.)," 5 Jan. 2017

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

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First Known Use of cusk

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for cusk

probably alteration of tusk, a kind of codfish

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Cite this Entry

“Cusk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cusk. Accessed 20 Feb. 2020.

More from Merriam-Webster on cusk

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with cusk

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cusk

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