fillet

1 of 2

noun

fil·​let ˈfi-lət 

 in sense 2b also  fi-ˈlā,

ˈfi-(ˌ)lā 

variants or less commonly filet

fi-ˈlā 

ˈfi-(ˌ)lā

1

: a ribbon or narrow strip of material used especially as a headband

2

a

: a thin narrow strip of material

b

: a piece or slice of boneless meat or fish

especially : the tenderloin of beef

3

a

: a concave junction formed where two surfaces meet (as at an angle)

b

: a strip that gives a rounded appearance to such a junction

also : a strip to reinforce the corner where two surfaces meet

4

: a narrow flat architectural member:

a

: a flat molding separating others

b

: the space between two flutings (see flute entry 1 sense 3) in a shaft

fillet

2 of 2

verb

fil·​let ˈfi-lət 

 in sense 2 also  fi-ˈlā,

ˈfi-(ˌ)lā

filleted; filleting; fillets

transitive verb

1

: to bind, furnish, or adorn with or as if with a fillet

2

: to cut into fillets

Examples of fillet in a Sentence

Noun

a juicy fillet of beef

Verb

He carefully filleted the fish with a sharp knife.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Try this copycat fish fillet recipe, this BBQ tofu sandwich recipe or this one from Veggies Don’t Bite, which involves a marinade made of soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup and lime juice. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024

Burger King brushes a triple-pepper glaze on both sides of its Alaskan pollock fillet. —Tim Carman, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024

Crappie fillets are delicious, so by all means, keep a stringer full. —Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024

Flip fillets, and grill until opaque throughout and fish flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes. —Karen Schroeder-Rankin, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2023

Microwave-Steamed Fish relies on, yes, a microwave to quickly cook large fillets. —Condé Nast, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2024

The fillet arrived hot and fresh, showing no signs of oil even though it was clearly plucked from the fryer just seconds earlier. —Tim Carman, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024

Spread the mayonnaise mixture equally on the fillets. —Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 24 Feb. 2024

LLMs have what robots lack: access to knowledge about practically everything humans have ever written, from quantum physics to K-pop to defrosting a salmon fillet. —David Berreby, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024

Verb

Four 6-oz. fillets mild white fish, preferably haddock, pollock, or sea bream ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 2½ cups whole milk Pinch freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp. —Simone Bouhour, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024

My partner deftly filleted one of the fish and pan fried it in butter. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024

Cleaning puffers is different than a filleting other fish, and this video (above) does a great job of showing you the steps. —Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 23 Aug. 2023

Add the olive oil and sear the salmon fillets skin side down until the skin is browned and crispy, 2 to 5 minutes. —Eric Kim, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2023

Burbot are skinned and then filleted. —John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Apr. 2023

Fantastic John Krasinski, Captain Agent Carter America, '90s Professor X: Wanda fillets them all. —Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023

The text is also instructional, explaining how to fillet a whole fish, ferment and pickle, and use layering to achieve unorthodox flavor combinations. —Von Diaz, Washington Post, 3 June 2022

Fabric bought from Florence bind the cushions made by Sabbagh, and a roving cart becomes a talker when staff use it to carve a whole chicken or fillet a fish tableside. —Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English filet, from Anglo-French, diminutive of fil thread, from Latin filum — more at file

Verb

derivative of fillet entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fillet

• fillet weld

Kids Definition

fillet

1 of 2 noun

fil·​let ˈfil-ət 

also

fi-ˈlā 

ˈfil-(ˌ)ā

variants also filet

fi-ˈlā 

ˈfil-(ˌ)ā

: a piece or slice of boneless meat or fish

fillet

2 of 2 verb

: to cut into fillets

Medical Definition

fillet

noun

fil·​let ˈfil-ət 

: a band of anatomical fibers

specifically : lemniscus