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tur·bot

(tûrbət)

n. pl. turbot or tur·bots

1. A flatfish, Psetta maxima syn. Scophthalmus maximus, of marine and brackish waters of Europe and North Africa, having a brown knobby upper side and prized as food.

2. Any of various flatfishes or other fishes that are similar to this fish.

[Middle English turbut, from Old French tourbout, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish törnbut : törn, thorn + but, flatfish; see bhau- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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turbot

Psetta maxima

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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