Skip to main content
tautog

tautog

9.9
A large dark fish from the Atlantic coast that people eat
  • noun
  • /ˈtɔːtɔɡ/
  • US
translation icon : tautog
  • Many anglers enjoy catching tautog during the fall season along the Atlantic coast.
  • black tautog

Examples

  • During a fishing trip, we caught several large tautog that we cooked for dinner.

  • Infrequently, red hake, cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus, and tautog caught in the lobster pots were used as bait also (n1).

    Academic text (1990)
  • The chef featured grilled tautog as the special dish at the seaside restaurant.

Synonyms

blackfish
vstautog
  • US
1 7.5

A dark sea fish often caught and eaten for food

is specific to a single species rather than a group of fishes
Tautoga onitis
vstautog
  • Specialized
9.9

A large dark fish found on the Atlantic coast of North America often called tautog or blackfish

is the common name for the same species
tautoga
vstautog
  • US
9.9

A large sea fish people eat that lives near rocks

is the everyday fishing name for that species

Surface Forms

tautog singular
tautogs plural

Etymology

Tautog comes from a Native American name used by the coastal peoples of New England, and early settlers kept the local word for this common reef fish. That's why tautog still means the dark, firm-fleshed 'blackfish' anglers catch near rocks.