Turbot
/ˈtɜːr.bət/noun
A large flatfish prized as food, especially in European waters.
Did you know?Turbot likely entered English through French forms like *turbot*, but its deeper origin is uncertain, which is exactly the kind of linguistic fog that makes old food words feel like relics from a half-remembered spell.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
LL
*turbotus*
“A kind of flatfish (reconstructed/uncertain form)”
Old French
OF
turbot
“A flatfish, especially the turbot”
Middle English
EN
turbot
“A turbot; the flatfish now known by that name”
Modern English
EN
turbot
“A large edible flatfish of the genus Scophthalmus”