anchovy

American  

[an-choh-vee, -chuh-, an-choh-vee] / ˈæn tʃoʊ vi, -tʃə-, ænˈtʃoʊ vi /

noun

• anchovies
  plural

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.

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anchovy British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• anchovies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anchovy

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

Explanation

An anchovy is a very small, silvery fish. People who eat anchovies enjoy their strong, fishy flavor. While you can buy fresh anchovies from many fish markets, they're most commonly sold packed in small tins, covered in salt and oil. Fishermen often use anchovies as bait for larger fish as well. Even people who don't think they like anchovies are sometimes familiar with the taste, as they're used in Caesar salad dressing and Worcestershire sauce. Anchovy comes from the Portuguese anchova, possibly from the Latin apua, "small fish."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anchovy anchovies

Its bug-based protein is used in fish feed, and it’s suddenly cheaper than the main alternative—fishmeal—due to an anchovy shortage resulting from high Pacific temperatures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Peru, the world's largest catcher of anchovy, is facing a devastating blow from warming seas that have gutted production, according to industry officials.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Other descriptions have included it being like a mix of anchovy paste and high-strength cod liver oil.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

The warm water, the result of change in currents and stalling of the typical cold water upwelling that occurred along the coast, was nutrient-poor and led to steep crashes in phytoplankton and anchovy populations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

She cut a recipe out of the Baltimore Sun, pasta with walnuts and anchovy sauce.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

But fish meal is selling for record-high prices after officials in Peru, the biggest producer of the anchovies used to make it, suspended this year’s catch early.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

The warming of the ocean surface is forcing anchovies and sardines -- which the mammals eat -- to seek cooler waters, either at deeper levels or farther north.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

During El Niño, less cold, nutrient rich water comes to the surface, reducing food availability for marine species such as anchovies.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

In Britain, which has seen four prime ministers in as many years, the familiar taste of anchovies blended with butter and peppers helps take the edge off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

People in shoreline settlements like Aspero could catch vast quantities of anchovies and sardines; Caral, Huaricanga, and the other inland towns had irrigation-produced cotton, fruit, and vegetables.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann