codling
/ˈkɒdlɪŋ/
codling noun: a young small cod. Also the present participle and gerund of codle.
Noun (1)
codling (plural codlings)
- A young small cod.
- Here a couple of old men in whiskers and spectacles leant over us, making strange sounds. Some codling had got caught in the net the same time as we were. These the old men threw back into the sea; but us they seemed to think very precious. …1922, Hugh Lofting, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, part 4, chapter 2, The Fidgit's Story
- A hake (cod-related food fish), especially one from the genus Urophycis.
Noun (2)
codling (plural codlings)
- A small, immature apple
- Malvolio: Not yet old enough for a man, nor yong enough
for a boy: as a squash is before tis a pescod, or a Codling
when tis almost an Apple: Tis with him in standing water,
betweene boy and man. He is verie well-fauour'd,
and he speakes verie shrewishly: One would thinke his
mothers milke were...c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and... - To make Codling Cream.
Take twenty fair codlings, core them, beat them in a mortar with a pint of cream, strain it into a dish, put into it some crumbs of brown bread, with a little-sack, and dish it up.1800, Hannah Glasse, Maria Wilson, “The Complete Confectioner”, in Creams, &c.
- Malvolio: Not yet old enough for a man, nor yong enough
- Any of various greenish, elongated English apple varieties, used for cooking
Proper noun capitalized: Codling
Codling
- A surname.
- "HS2's London tunnels will help ensure many homes and habitats in the capital remain undisturbed. This is a key part of our commitment to deliver Britain's new high-speed railway in the most environmentally friendly way and minimising disruption to our neighbours," said HS2 Ltd Client Director...2020 October 21, “Network News: London tunnel contracts awarded with work to start in 2022”, in Rail, pages 12–13
Also used as
codling is also the present participle and gerund of codle.
Forms of codling
| plural | codlings |
|---|---|
| alternative form | codlin |
Origin of codling
From Middle English codling, codeling, equivalent to cod + -ling.
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
* Some dictionaries, including Merriam-Webster online, list Middle English querdlyng, -lyng as equivalent to modern -ling. * Some dictionaries, including Collins Online, state that the etymology is unknown.
Words formed from codling
Phrases with codling
Questions about codling
- What does codling mean?
- Codling means a young small cod.
- What part of speech is codling?
- Codling can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce codling?
- Codling is pronounced /ˈkɒdlɪŋ/.
- What is the plural of codling?
- The plural of codling is codlings.
Words near codling in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: codling (page history and authors); Codling (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-codling.wav.
Cite this entry: “codling.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/codling. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.