noun Capelin n. (Written also capelan and caplin) (Zool.) Either of two small marine fishes formerly classified in the family Salmonidae, now within the smelt family Osmeridae: Mallotus villosus, very abundant on the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland, and Alaska; or Mallotus catervarius, found in the North Pacific. The Atlantic variety has been used as a bait for the cod. Note: This fish, which is like a smelt, is called by the Spaniards anchova, and by the Portuguese capelina. However the anchovy used as a food is a different fish.
Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48
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