capelin
noun
cap·e·lin ˈka-p(ə-)lən 
: a small northern sea fish (Mallotus villosus) of the smelt family
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Canada's Capelin Roll Each year around the summer solstice (June 20th this year), the beaches of Newfoundland and Labrador explode in silvery sparkles as millions of capelin fish arrive in the shallows to spawn. 
Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Feb. 2020 Iceland’s economy is on the cusp of a recession, partly because an important export, the capelin fish, vanished this year in search of colder waters. Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2019 And cod, which this year brought in record profits of $1 billion, feed on capelin. Kendra Pierre-louis, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2019 In the Atlantic, southern species such as capelin and Atlantic copepod are already encroaching in Arctic waters where they were not previously found. Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, 10 Dec. 2018 Plentiful in Alaska, murres eat finger-length forage fish such as capelin and juvenile pollock. Dan Joling, The Seattle Times, 11 Aug. 2018 Half the kick comes from ginger, and the pop from tiny beads of masago (capelin roe). Author: Ligaya Mishan, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Jan. 2018 Half the kick comes from ginger, and the pop from tiny beads of masago (capelin roe). Author: Ligaya Mishan, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Jan. 2018 Half the kick comes from ginger, and the pop from tiny beads of masago (capelin roe). Author: Ligaya Mishan, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Jan. 2018 See More
Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Feb. 2020 Iceland’s economy is on the cusp of a recession, partly because an important export, the capelin fish, vanished this year in search of colder waters. Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2019 And cod, which this year brought in record profits of $1 billion, feed on capelin. Kendra Pierre-louis, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2019 In the Atlantic, southern species such as capelin and Atlantic copepod are already encroaching in Arctic waters where they were not previously found. Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, 10 Dec. 2018 Plentiful in Alaska, murres eat finger-length forage fish such as capelin and juvenile pollock. Dan Joling, The Seattle Times, 11 Aug. 2018 Half the kick comes from ginger, and the pop from tiny beads of masago (capelin roe). Author: Ligaya Mishan, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Jan. 2018 Half the kick comes from ginger, and the pop from tiny beads of masago (capelin roe). Author: Ligaya Mishan, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Jan. 2018 Half the kick comes from ginger, and the pop from tiny beads of masago (capelin roe). Author: Ligaya Mishan, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Jan. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Canadian French capelan, from French, codfish, from Old Occitan, chaplain, codfish, from Medieval Latin cappellanus chaplain — more at chaplain
First Known Use
1620, in the meaning defined above