Whitebait \White"bait`\, n. (Zool.) (a) The young of several species of herrings, especially of the common herring, esteemed a great delicacy by epicures in England. (b) A small translucent fish ({Salanx Chinensis}) abundant at certain seasons on the coasts of China and Japan, and used in the same manner as the European whitebait. [1913 Webster]