Gadus morhua
- noun
- Specialized
:
bacalao
- The Atlantic cod, also known as Gadus morhua, is a popular choice for fish and chips.
- Gadus morhua cod
Examples
-
In the same family as haddock (Gadidae), Gadus morhua L. is among the most influential of the food fishes.
Academic text (1991) -
Gadus morhua and haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, increased with increasing fish length.
Academic text (1994) -
Many chefs prefer to use Gadus morhua for its mild flavor and flaky texture in seafood dishes.
-
Fishermen often target Gadus morhua due to its economic value and demand in the market.
Synonyms
1
1.1
A large fish that lives in cold seas and has white meat people eat
1
2.1
A large sea fish from the North Atlantic with white, flaky flesh used for food
Surface Forms
Morphology
Gadus + morhua
The first element 'Gadus' names the cod genus, so a learner who knows that could infer this is a type of cod; however 'morhua' is not transparently meaningful to learners and the Latin binomial taxonomic convention is not standard B1 knowledge. Because part of the meaning (a cod species) can be deduced but the full label relies on specialist/Latin knowledge, the expression is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Gadus morhua comes from the old Latin word Gadus, the name for cod, plus morhua, a label early scientists used for this Atlantic fish. So, picture sailors and scientists pointing at a big cod and saying Gadus morhua—the name today simply tells us it is the fish we call 'cod'.