anchovy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small marine fish, especially one preserved in salt or oil and used for its strong savory flavor

   She mashed an anchovy into the sauce to deepen its flavor.

From Spanish anchoa, probably through Genoese or another Ligurian form such as anciôa. Its ultimate origin is disputed: proposals connect it either with Latin apua and Greek aphyē, both names for small fish, or with a Basque word for dried fish.

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