greenling
greenling Lexical Profile
greenling Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American Any of various marine fishes of the family Hexagrammidae, typically having a long dorsal fin and inhabiting the coastal waters and kelp beds of the North Pacific Ocean.
"The marine biologist documented a bright kelp greenling darting among the rocky reefs off the coast of Oregon."
A young, inexperienced, or naive person; a novice.
"The veteran sailors had little patience for the greenling who continually fumbled with the rigging during the storm."
Word Nuance & Usage
While primarily used today in marine biology and angling to denote a family of North Pacific fishes, 'greenling' can also appear in older or literary texts as a synonym for a novice or greenhorn.
• Rhymes for greenling
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Old English 'grēne' (green) combined with the suffix '-ling'. Applied to the fish due to the greenish coloration of several species, and historically applied to people to denote youth or inexperience.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.