Meanings
plural halibuts · alternative hallibut · alternative holibut · alternative halibutt · alternative holibutt
- A large flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus, which sometimes leaves the ocean floor and swims vertically.
[...] she frowned a displeased frown and told me for heaven's sake to stop goggling like a dead halibut.
1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IV
Synonyms & antonyms
nounmarine food fish of the northern Atlantic or northern Pacific; the largest flatfish and one of the largest teleost fishes
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishhalibut
- Englishhalibut
From Middle English halibut, equivalent to holy + butt (“flatfish”), since the fish was often eaten on holy days. Cognate with Dutch heilbot, German Heiligbutt, Heilbutt, Heilbutte, Danish helleflynder, Swedish helgeflundra, and Norwegian Nynorsk hellefisk.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic هَلْبُوت
- هَلْبُوت (halbūt)flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Bulgarian камбала
- камбала (kambala)flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Chinese Mandarin 大比目魚 /大比目鱼
- 大比目魚 /大比目鱼 (dàbǐmùyú)flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Czech platýs
- platýsflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Danish helleflynder
- helleflynderflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Dutch heilbot
- heilbotflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Esperanto hipogloso
- hipoglosoflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Finnish ruijanpallas
- ruijanpallasflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
French flétan, elbot
- flétanflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- elbotflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
German Heilbutt, Heiligbutt
- Heilbuttflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- Heiligbuttflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- Heiligenbuttflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- Pferdezungeflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- Riesenscholleflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Hungarian laposhal
- laposhalflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Icelandic lúða, heilagfiski
- lúðaflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- heilagfiskiflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- flyðraflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Irish haileabó
- haileabóflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Italian halibut, ippoglosso
- halibutflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- ippoglossoflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- fletanoflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Japanese オヒョウ, 大鮃
- オヒョウ (ohyō)flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- 大鮃 (ohyō)flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Latin hippoglōssus
- hippoglōssusflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Malay halibut
- halibutflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Norwegian Bokmål kveite, hellefisk
- kveiteflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- hellefiskflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Polish halibut, kulbak
- halibutflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- kulbakflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Portuguese hipoglosso, halibute
- hipoglossoflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- halibuteflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- alaboteflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Romanian cambulă, limbă-de-cal
- cambulăflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- limbă-de-calflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- calcan-sfântflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Russian па́лтус
- па́лтус (páltus)flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Scottish Gaelic bradan-leathann, pacach-cearr
- bradan-leathannflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- pacach-cearrflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Spanish fletán, pez mantequilla
- fletánflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- pez mantequillaflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- hipoglosoflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- paltusflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- halibutflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Swedish hälleflundra, helgeflundra
- hälleflundraflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
- helgeflundraflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Turkish halibut
- halibutflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Ukrainian па́лтус
- па́лтус (páltus)flatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Welsh lleden Ffrengig
- lleden Ffrengigflatfish of the genus Hippoglossus
Cite this entry
halibut. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/halibut
“halibut.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/halibut. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “halibut,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/halibut.
Source: halibut on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.