English · Word Candidate

ling

/lɪŋ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: lings

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae.

Noun

Examples

Other deep creatures now being harvested or targeted as seafood include rattails, skates, squid, red crabs, orange roughy, black oreos, smooth oreos, hoki, blue ling, southern blue whiting, sablefish, black scabbard fish and spiny dogfish.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae. — A common ling (Molva molva).

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

Any of various varieties of heather or broom.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

Any of various varieties of heather or broom. — Common heather (Calluna vulgaris)

Noun

Examples

I was sitting by a path on a tussock between some bushes, whence I could overlook the path and a little valley to which it led down, and where nothing but ling and heather grew.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “ling” mean?

Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae.

Is “ling” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.