anchovy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing anchovy
South America - Middle School
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South America - Introductory
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South America - High School
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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.
See Examples For:
“If you’re an anchovy lover, this has your name on it,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
“It had sardines, I believe, anchovy, tuna, and prawns on it,” Skimehorn said.
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2025
"The future looks very bleak," said the anchovy fisherman Captain Park, now in his late 40s.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025
We were just specks in the ocean, as tiny as a velella or an anchovy, part of a big, watery world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
He loved introducing me to special tidbits, and by the age of nine I had developed a passionate taste for cold vichyssoise and caviar and anchovy paste.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Originally from Nice, the classic salade Niçoise has just a handful of local ingredients, including tomatoes, anchovies and seasonal greens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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
“The original is heavy on the cloves and cinnamon, but we found it was better to let the anchovies do the talking.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
“We’ve come to the conclusion to take our anchovies offline for the summer as shipping them in the summertime heat drastically impacts their wondrous quality.”
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
Her experience with anchovies was seeing them on Mom’s half of the pizza, where they lay there, smelly and shriveled.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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.
