branzino

[ bron-zee-noh ]

noun

, plural bran·zi·nos.

1. a silvery sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, found in the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea.

Word History and Origins

Origin of branzino¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from Venetian Italian: literally, “sea bass,” from Venetian Italian brancin “claw”, from branza “spine, claw” (from the appearance of the operculum) + -ino -ine ¹( def ). Further etymology is uncertain: branza may come from Classical Latin branchia branchia ( def ), or from Vulgar Latin brancia (unattested) and may perhaps be related to Late Latin branca “paw”; branch ( def )