halibut

English

halibut

Alternative forms

• hallibut, holibut

Etymology

From Middle English *halibutt, equivalent to holy +‎ but (“flatfish”), since the fish was often eaten on holy days. Compare Dutch heilbot, German Heiligbutt, Heilbutt, Heilbutte. Compare also Danish helleflynder, Swedish helgeflundra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæ.lɨ.bət/, /ˈhɒ.lɨ.bət/

Noun

halibut (plural halibuts or halibut)

1. A large flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus, which sometimes leaves the ocean floor and swims vertically.
   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IV:

     [...] she frowned a displeased frown and told me for heaven's sake to stop goggling like a dead halibut.

Derived terms

• Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)
• Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis)

Translations

fish of genus Hippoglossus

• Alutiiq: sagiq
• Belarusian: па́лтус m (páltus)
• Bulgarian: камбала f (kambala)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大比目魚 (zh), 大比目鱼 (zh) (dàbǐmùyú)

• Czech: platýs m
• Danish: helleflynder
• Dutch: heilbot (nl) m
• Faroese: kalvi (fo)
• Finnish: ruijanpallas (fi)
• French: flétan (fr) m, elbot (fr) m (Belgium)
• Galician: fletán (gl) m
• German: Heilbutt (de) m, Heiligbutt m, Heiligenbutt m, Pferdezunge, Riesenscholle
• Hungarian: laposhal
• Icelandic: lúða (is) f, heilagfiski m, flyðra (is) f
• Irish: haileabó m
• Italian: ippoglosso m
• Japanese: オヒョウ (ohyō), 大鮃 (おひょう, ohyō)

• Malay: halibut
• Nootka: p̕uuʔi
• Northern Sami: bálddis
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kveite m or f, hellefisk m

  Nynorsk: kveite f, hellefisk m

• Polish: halibut (pl) m
• Portuguese: hipoglosso m
• Romanian: cambulă (ro) f, limbă-de-cal f, calcan-sfânt m
• Russian: па́лтус (ru) m (páltus)
• Scottish Gaelic: bradan-leathann m, pacach-cearr
• Spanish: fletán (es) m, pez mantequilla m, hipogloso m, paltus m, halibut (es) m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} hälleflundra (sv), ^{(please verify)} helgeflundra (sv)
• Ukrainian: па́лтус m (páltus)
• Volapük: holbut

Further reading

• halibut on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Hippoglossus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

---

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xaˈlʲi.but/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

halibut m anim

1. halibut

Declension

declension of halibut

	singular	plural
nominative	halibut	halibuty
genitive	halibuta	halibutów
dative	halibutowi	halibutom
accusative	halibuta	halibuty
instrumental	halibutem	halibutami
locative	halibucie	halibutach
vocative	halibucie	halibuty

---

Spanish

Noun

halibut m (plural halibuts)

1. halibut

Synonyms

• fletán