klipfish

noun

klip·​fish

variants or clipfish

ˈklipˌfish

1

: a fish (as cod) split open, salted, and dried

2

: a fish of the family Clinidae : kelpfish

Word History

Etymology

in sense 1, past translation of Danish klipfisk, Norwegian klippfisk & German klippfisch; Danish & Norwegian, probably from German, from klippe rock near the sea, cliff + fisch fish; in sense 2, partial translation of Afrikaans klipvis, from klip rock, stone (from Middle Dutch klippe) + vis fish; akin to Old English clif cliff

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