A type of edible marine fish related to cod, or heather plants common in northern regions.
From Old Norse lyng meaning heather, later extended to the fish due to its elongated shape resembling heather stems. The word entered Middle English around 1300.
The word 'ling' beautifully demonstrates how language connects nature's patterns - both the fish and the plant share an elongated, flowing form that our ancestors recognized and named with the same word. In Scotland, ling heather was traditionally used for bedding and broom-making.
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