anchovy

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

noun,plural an·cho·vies.
  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.

Origin of anchovy

1
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

Words Nearby anchovy

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How to use anchovy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anchovy

anchovy

/ (ˈæntʃəvɪ) /


nounplural -vies or -vy
  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

Origin of anchovy

1
C16: from Spanish anchoa, perhaps ultimately from Greek aphuē small fish

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