| Capelin | n. [ Cf. F. capelan, caplan. ] (Zool.) Either of two small marine fishes formerly classified in the family Salmonidæ, now within the smelt family Osmeridae: Mallotus villosus, very abundant on the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland, and Alaska; or Mallotus catervarius, found in the North Pacific. The Atlantic variety has been used as a bait for the cod. [ Written also capelan and caplin. ] [ 1913 Webster + PJC ] ☞ This fish, which is like a smelt, is called by the Spaniards anchova, and by the Portuguese capelina. However the anchovy used as a food is a different fish. Fisheries of U. S. (1884). [ 1913 Webster + PJC ] |