mallotus

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of plants of the natural order Euphorbiaceæ, tribe Crotonæ, and subtribe Acalypheæ, characterized by the oblong parallel anther-cells and the numerous (rarely less than fifteen) stamens. The flowers are apetalous, either diæcious or monæcious. The plants are trees or shrubs with generally alternate leaves. The male flowers are generally small, on short pedicels in heads along a rachis; the pistillate ones fewer, on long or short pedicels. There are about 70 species, numerous in eastern India, the Malay archipelago, and Australia, with a few in Africa. One species, M. Philippinensis, yields the dyestuff known as kamila.
2. n. In ichthyology (Cuvier, 1829), a genus of fishes of the family Argentinidæ, formerly placed in Salmonidæ, of which the male has a broad longitudinal villous or fleecy band of scales differentiated from the rest: the caplins. The type is Mallotus villosus, the caplin. See cut under caplin.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) A genus of small Arctic fishes. One American species, the capelin (Mallotus villosus), is extensively used as bait for cod.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. capelins.