Definition: ling
Source: WordNet (r) 1.7
ling
n 1: water chestnut whose spiny fruit has two rather than 4
prongs [syn: ling ko, Trapa bicornis]
2: common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low
evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere [syn: heather,
Scots heather, broom, Calluna vulgaris]
3: elongated marine food fish of Greenland and northern Europe;
often salted and dried [syn: Molva molva]
4: American hakes
5: elongate freshwater cod of northern Europe and Asia and
North America having barbels around its mouth [syn: burbot,
eelpout, cusk, Lota lota]
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Ling \Ling\, n. [Icel. lyng; akin to Dan. lyng, Sw. ljung.] (Bot.) Heather (Calluna vulgaris). Ling honey, a sort of wild honey, made from the flowers of the heather. --Holland.
-ling \-ling\ (-l[i^]ng). [AS. -ling.] A noun suffix, commonly having a diminutive or a depreciatory force; as in duckling, gosling, hireling, fosterling, firstling, underling.
-ling \-ling\ An adverbial suffix; as, darkling, flatling.
Ling \Ling\ (l[i^]ng), n. [OE. lenge; akin to D. leng, G. l["a]nge, Dan. lange, Sw. l[*a]nga, Icel. langa. So named from its being long. See Long, a.] (Zo["o]l.) (a) A large, marine, gadoid fish (Molva vulgaris) of Northern Europe and Greenland. It is valued as a food fish and is largely salted and dried. Called also drizzle. (b) The burbot of Lake Ontario. (c) An American hake of the genus Phycis. [Canada] (d) A New Zealand food fish of the genus Genypterus. The name is also locally applied to other fishes, as the cultus cod, the mutton fish, and the cobia.
Eelpout \Eel"pout`\, n. [AS. ?lepute.] (Zo["o]l.) (a) A European fish (Zoarces viviparus), remarkable for producing living young; -- called also greenbone, guffer, bard, and Maroona eel. Also, an American species (Z. anguillaris), -- called also mutton fish, and, erroneously, congo eel, ling, and lamper eel. Both are edible, but of little value. (b) A fresh-water fish, the burbot.
Burbot \Bur"bot\, n. [F. barbote, fr. barbe beard. See 1st Barb.] (Zo["o]l.) A fresh-water fish of the genus Lota, having on the nose two very small barbels, and a larger one on the chin. [Written also burbolt.] Note: The fish is also called an eelpout or ling, and is allied to the codfish. The Lota vulgaris is a common European species. An American species (L. maculosa) is found in New England, the Great Lakes, and farther north.
Heath \Heath\, n. [OE. heth waste land, the plant heath, AS.
h??; akin to D. & G. heide, Icel. hei?r waste land, Dan.
hede, Sw. hed, Goth. haipi field, L. bucetum a cow pasture;
cf. W. coed a wood, Skr. ksh?tra field. [root]20.]
1. (Bot.)
(a) A low shrub (Erica, or Calluna, vulgaris), with
minute evergreen leaves, and handsome clusters of pink
flowers. It is used in Great Britain for brooms,
thatch, beds for the poor, and for heating ovens. It
is also called heather, and ling.
(b) Also, any species of the genus Erica, of which
several are European, and many more are South African,
some of great beauty. See Illust. of Heather.
2. A place overgrown with heath; any cheerless tract of
country overgrown with shrubs or coarse herbage.
Their stately growth, though bare, Stands on the
blasted heath. --Milton
Heath cock (Zo["o]l.), the blackcock. See Heath grouse
(below).
Heath grass (Bot.), a kind of perennial grass, of the genus
Triodia (T. decumbens), growing on dry heaths.
Heath grouse, or Heath game (Zo["o]l.), a European grouse
(Tetrao tetrix), which inhabits heats; -- called also
black game, black grouse, heath poult, heath fowl,
moor fowl. The male is called, heath cock, and
blackcock; the female, heath hen, and gray hen.
Heath hen. (Zo["o]l.) See Heath grouse (above).
Heath pea (bot.), a species of bitter vetch (Lathyris
macrorhizus), the tubers of which are eaten, and in
Scotland are used to flavor whisky.
Heath throstle (Zo["o]l.), a European thrush which
frequents heaths; the ring ouzel.
