anchovy

[an-choh-vee, -chuh-, an-choh-vee]

noun

plural

anchovies 

1. any small, marine, herringlike fish of the family Engraulidae, especially Engraulis encrasicholus, found in the Mediterranean Sea, often preserved in oil and used in salads, spreads, etc., or packaged in paste form.

anchovy

/ ˈæntʃəvɪ /

noun

1. any of various small marine food fishes of the genus Engraulis and related genera, esp E. encrasicolus of S Europe: family Clupeidae (herrings). They have a salty taste and are often tinned or made into a paste or essence

Word History and Origins

Origin of anchovy¹

1590–1600; < French or Ibero-Romance < Genoese anchua, anchova < Vulgar Latin *apiu ( v ) a, variant of Latin apua (Pliny) < Greek aphýē fry of various fishes

Word History and Origins

Origin of anchovy¹

C16: from Spanish anchoa, perhaps ultimately from Greek aphuē small fish

Example Sentences

We were just specks in the ocean, as tiny as a velella or an anchovy, part of a big, watery world.

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“The first day you found out that Joe Biden was not going to be running for reelection and that you got the go-ahead,” Evans said, “cheese pizza with anchovies is where you went.”

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She’s a kooky chef whose signature seasoning is a mix of powdered anchovy and blueberry.

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There are, at this moment, thousands of little anchovies hiding from the sun.

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Capers, olives, a swirl of miso paste, an anchovy or two mashed into the olive oil.

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