codling

A young small cod.

Noun

  1. A young small cod.
    • Here a couple of old men in whiskers and spectacles leant over us, making strange sounds. Some codling had got caught in the net the same time as we were. These the old men threw back into the sea; but us they seemed to...
  2. A hake (cod-related food fish), especially one from the genus Urophycis.

Origin

From Middle English codling, codeling, equivalent to cod + -ling.

Forms

codlings

Derived

red codling

Noun Entry 2

  1. A small, immature apple
    • Malvolio: Not yet old enough for a man, nor yong enough for a boy: as a squash is before tis a pescod, or a Codling when tis almost an Apple: Tis with him in standing water, betweene boy and man. He is verie...
    • To make Codling Cream. Take twenty fair codlings, core them, beat them in a mortar with a pint of cream, strain it into a dish, put into it some crumbs of brown bread, with a little-sack, and dish it up. - 1800, Hannah...
  2. Any of various greenish, elongated English apple varieties, used for cooking

Origin

* Some dictionaries, including Merriam-Webster online, list Middle English querdlyng, -lyng as equivalent to modern -ling. * Some dictionaries, including Collins Online, state that the etymology is unknown.

Forms

codlings codlin

Derived

codling moth

Verb

  1. present participle and gerund of codle

Origin

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.