[kav-ee-ahr, kav-ee-ahr] 
| the roe of sturgeon, esp. the beluga, or other fish, usually served as an hors d'oeuvre or appetizer. |
| cav·i·ar also cav·i·are (kāv'ē-är', kä'vē-) n. The roe of a large fish, especially sturgeon, that is salted, seasoned, and eaten as a delicacy or relish. [Alteration of caviarie (probably from obsolete Italian caviari, pl. of caviaro) or from French caviare, both from Turkish havyar, from Persian khāvyār; akin to khāyah, egg, from Middle Persian khāyak; see awi- in Indo-European roots.] Word History: Although caviar might seem to be something quintessentially Russian, the word caviar is not, the native Russian term being ikra. Caviar first came into English in the 16th century, probably by way of French and Italian, which borrowed it from Turkish havyar. The source of the Turkish word is apparently an Iranian dialectal form related to the Persian word for "egg," khāyah, and this in turn goes back to the same Indo-European root that gives us the English words egg and oval. This rather exotic etymology is appropriate to a substance that is not to everyone's taste, giving rise to Shakespeare's famous phrase, " 'twas caviary to the general," the general public, that is. |