cod-liver oil

American  

[kod-liv-er] / ˈkɒdˌlɪv ər /

noun

1. a pale-yellow, fixed oil, extracted from the liver of the common cod or of allied species, used in medicine chiefly as a source of vitamins A and D.

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cod-liver oil British  

noun

1. an oil extracted from the livers of cod and related fish, rich in vitamins A and D and used to treat deficiency of these vitamins

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Etymology

Origin of cod-liver oil

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

Gabito came into the world lathered in cod-liver oil, his parents claimed, with two brains and the memory of an elephant.

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2023

Piper had put on clothes she had soaked for a week in cod-liver oil, milk and eggs and walked into the New York City Subway at rush hour.

From Washington Post • Dec. 12, 2019

Möller and his advertising team then launched a campaign to institutionalise the regular use of cod-liver oil, regardless of whether you were at risk of rickets or not.

From The Guardian • Jul. 25, 2018

Fulmar has a very strong, fatty flavor, similar to that of cod-liver oil.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 11, 2018

It's a cool morning, and even though I'm twelve now, I don't have a choice—it's cod-liver oil and Latin recitation and the endless, tedious Wohlfahrt viola etudes.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper