the.com/whiting

means A small, mild-flavored white-fleshed fish (and also the name for ground chalk used as a whitener or filler), from the Old World cod and hake family.

from The fish sense comes from Middle Dutch/Middle Low German 'wijting,' tied to 'wit' meaning white — a straightforward nod to its pale flesh. The chalk sense of 'whiting' grew the same way, straight from 'white' plus the suffix '-ing,' marking it as the powdered whitening agent used in paints, putty, and polish. Same root, two unrelated careers — one swimming, one sitting in a tin on a shelf.