Cod Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

Usage

Etymology

Examples

cod 1 American [kod] / kɒd /

noun

plural

cod,

plural

cods

1. any of several soft-rayed food fishes of the family Gadidae, especially Gadus morhua, of North Atlantic waters.

2. a closely related fish, Gadus macrocephalus, of the North Pacific Ocean.

3. any of several unrelated fishes, as rockfishes of the genus Sebastes.

cod 2 American [kod] / kɒd /

noun

1. Slang: Vulgar. testicle.

COD. 3 American Or cod.

abbreviation

1. codex.

C.O.D. 4 American Or c.o.d.

abbreviation

Commerce.

1. cash, or collect, on delivery (payment to be made when delivered to the purchaser).

cod 1 British / kɒd /

noun

1. any of the gadoid food fishes of the genus Gadus, esp G. morhua (or G. callarias ), which occurs in the North Atlantic and has a long body with three rounded dorsal fins: family Gadidae . They are also a source of cod-liver oil

2. any other fish of the family Gadidae See gadid

3. any of various unrelated Australian fish, such as the Murray cod

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 COD 2 British

abbreviation

1. cash on delivery

2. (in the US) collect on delivery

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 cod 3 British / kɒd /

noun

1. dialect a fellow; chap

   he's a nice old cod

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 cod 4 British / kɒd /

noun

1. dialect a pod or husk

2. an obsolete word for scrotum

3. obsolete a bag or envelope

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Cod 5 British

noun

1. See Cape Cod

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 cod 6 British / kɒd /

verb

1. slang to make fun of; tease

2. slang to play a trick on; fool

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. slang a hoax or trick

2. slang a fraud; hoaxer

   he's an old cod

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

1. slang mock; sham

   cod Latin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 COD Cultural

1. An abbreviation for “cash on delivery” or “collect on delivery.”

Usage

What does C.O.D. mean? C.O.D. is an abbreviation for cash on delivery, referring to an arrangement in which payment for a purchase is made directly by the purchaser to the person who delivers the item.C.O.D. can also stand for collect on delivery, meaning the same thing. That’s because C.O.D. doesn’t necessarily always mean that actual cash (paper money) is required (though it often used to mean this). Sometimes, a check, money order, or credit card payment will be accepted as C.O.D.C.O.D. can be used as a noun, as in Sorry, we don’t accept C.O.D.s. It can also be used as an adverb, as in We’re shipping it C.O.D.; as an adjective, as in Our C.O.D. orders are behind schedule; and in other variations.Although the term can be spelled without periods, they’re usually included to make it clear that the term is an abbreviation.Example: Most of our shipments are done C.O.D., and we have a high percentage of successful payments.

Etymology

Origin of cod1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; origin uncertain

Origin of cod2

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English codd; akin to Old Norse koddi “pillow”

Origin of C.O.D.4

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For a decade, the combination of Danish subsidies, infrastructure investment and rising global prices for halibut, cod and shrimp have helped keep the economy ticking over.

From The Wall Street Journal

He also touted cod liver oil as a measles treatment, citing its “high concentrations of vitamin A and vitamin D.”

From The Wall Street Journal

You’ll find it at Portugalia Marketplace, a haven for Portuguese specialty goods ranging from tinned fish to salt cod, olive oil, and cured meats.

From Salon

President Andrew Crook said the price of cod had doubled in the past year and claimed consumers were ditching fish suppers for cheaper ready meals.

From BBC

A lively and fluent writer, Mr. Kurlansky, the author of books on the Basques, cod, salt and other subjects, brings the Boston milieu to life with sympathy, verve and dry humor.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.