capelin
UK[ˈkeɪpəlɪn]US[ˈkeɪpəlɪn]
n
A small, slender fish of the smelt family, found in northern seas and an important food source for larger fish, birds, and marine mammals.
Etymology
The word 'capelin' entered English in the early 17th century from French. The French term 'capelan' was itself borrowed from Provençal 'capelan', meaning "chaplain." This seemingly odd naming stems from a traditional European folk taxonomy that playfully associated certain fish with religious figures, possibly due to the fish's appearance or behavior. Thus, the modern term for this small forage fish carries a historical echo of cultural metaphor, its literal morphemic meaning ("chaplain") having been entirely lost in its journey to becoming a standard zoological name.
Analysis
This word is a loanword adopted as a single, unanalyzable unit in English. Its components are not productive morphemes within the English language system.
Examples
Vast shoals of capelin migrate to the coast each summer to spawn.
The health of the cod population is closely linked to the abundance of capelin.
Seabirds like puffins rely heavily on capelin to feed their chicks.