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anchovy

/ˈæntʃoʊvi/

/ˈæntʃəʊvi/

Other forms: anchovies

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."

Definitions of anchovy
  1. noun
    small herring-like plankton-eating fishes often canned whole or as paste; abundant in tropical waters worldwide
    see moresee less
    types:
    Engraulis encrasicholus, mediterranean anchovy
    esteemed for its flavor; usually preserved or used for sauces and relishes
    type of:
    malacopterygian, soft-finned fish
    any fish of the superorder Malacopterygii
  2. noun
    tiny fishes usually canned or salted; used for hors d'oeuvres or as seasoning in sauces
    see moresee less
    type of:
    fish
    the flesh of fish used as food
Pronunciation
US

/ˈæntʃoʊvi/

UK

/ˈæntʃəʊvi/

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