albacore

noun

al·​ba·​core ˈal-bə-ˌkȯr How to pronounce albacore (audio)
variants or albacore tuna
plural albacore or albacores or albacore tuna or albacore tunas
1
: a large tuna (Thunnus alalunga) of temperate and subtropical oceans that has long pectoral fins, that is dark blue with a gray to silvery-white belly, that may reach a length of 50 inches (127 centimeters), and that is a source of canned tuna
Typically albacore are found between 40 to 80 miles offshore, but they can be even farther out depending on water surface temperatures.—Luke Whittaker
With their streamlined, torpedo-shaped bodies and high metabolisms, albacore tuna can swim at speeds upward of 30 mph …—Dave Gershman and Ray Clarke
also : the flesh of albacore especially when canned for use as food
One cup of albacore, canned in water, will contain 5 grams of fat, of which 0.15 grams will be omega-3 fatty acids and 0.1 grams will be omega-6 fatty acids. —Ed Blonz
2
: any of several tuna related to the albacore see also false albacore

Illustration of albacore

Illustration of albacore

Examples of albacore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There are 15 types of tuna globally, Weintraub notes, but in Western counties, the most popular ones include albacore, bigeye, yellowfin, bluefin and skipjack - the last of which remains the top variety sold in the U.S. and accounts for more than 70% of all tuna sold in the country. —Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 8 Oct. 2024 An assortment of nigiri featuring tuna, salmon, hamachi, albacore and shrimp follows. —Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 19 Sep. 2024 That might mean options like sesame crusted Oregon albacore, wild Chinook crudo or a garden tomato gazpacho. —Catherine Garcia, theweek, 4 Sep. 2024 Ecola Restaurant & Market The Oregon Coast is known for its seafood, especially fresh oysters, Dungeness crab, calms, and albacore tuna. —Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for albacore 

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from 16th-century Portuguese albaquora, albecora, of obscure origin

Note: Traditionally Portuguese and Spanish albacora and its Romance congeners have been taken as loans from an Arabic collocation al-bakūra "the albacore." The fish word would supposedly be derived from the Arabic root b-k-r, seen in bikr "first-born," bakr "young camel," on the assumption that it originally alluded to young tuna. As noted in the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, the existence of such a word for the fish in Arabic, recorded only by a Spanish-speaking missionary to Morocco in the nineteenth century, is questionable. Oxford takes the earliest attestation of albacora in Romance to be Italian albacore (plural) in Antonio Pigafetta's Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo, dated "ante 1525"; note, however, that this word is apparently only attested in a single manuscript of the Relazione (Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan, L 103 sup.), of uncertain date and relation to Pigafetta's original text, which has not survived. For further etymological speculation see the Oxford English Dictionary.

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of albacore was in 1579

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Cite this Entry

“Albacore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/albacore. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

albacore

noun
al·​ba·​core ˈal-bə-ˌkō(ə)r How to pronounce albacore (audio)
-ˌkȯ(ə)r
plural albacore or albacores
: a large tuna with long pectoral fins that is the source of most canned tuna

More from Merriam-Webster on albacore

Nglish: Translation of albacore for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of albacore for Arabic Speakers

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