merluzzo
/merˈlut.t͡so/masculine
The Italian word for cod is merluzzo.
merluzzo is a masculine noun used to refer to any marine fish belonging to the Gadidae family.
Meaning: any marine fish of the family Gadidae (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/merˈlut.tso/. The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word merluzzo actually shares a common ancestor with the Latin word for a blackbird, merula.
- There is a famous Italian dish called baccalà alla vicentina that involves soaking the dried cod for days before slow-cooking it with milk.
- The term stoccafisso is used for air-dried cod, distinguishing it from baccalà, which is salt-cured.
Examples in context
- È nel periodo che va da gennaio ad aprile che il miglior merluzzo viene catturato e trasformato in stoccafisso secondo il metodo tradizionale.It is in this period, from January to April, that the best quality cod is caught, and the best traditional stockfish is made.This sentence is useful for learning how merluzzo is used when discussing the traditional production of stockfish.
- Buonasera, vorrei ordinare un piatto di merluzzo, per favore.Good evening, I would like to order a cod dish, please.
- Ciao, hai mai provato il baccalà fritto?Hi, have you ever tried fried cod?
- Il merluzzo è molto fresco oggi.The cod is very fresh today.
- Preferisco il merluzzo ai gamberetti.I prefer cod to shrimp.
Example conversation
A couple is deciding what to cook for dinner.
- MatteoCompriamo del merluzzo per la cena?Shall we buy some cod for dinner?
- SofiaSì, è un'ottima idea, Matteo.Yes, that's a great idea, Matteo.
- MatteoAllora prendo il merluzzo al mercato.Then I'll get the cod at the market.
- SofiaPerfetto, lo cucino io stasera.Perfect, I will cook it tonight.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cod” translations and entries merluzzo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries merluzzo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
