Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, silvery, plankton-eating fish of the herring family, often found in large schools in tropical and temperate coastal waters worldwide. They are commonly processed by canning whole, salting, or being made into a paste.
   • The prepared product (canned, salted, or as a paste) from this fish, used as a savory seasoning, a topping, or an ingredient in sauces and hors d'oeuvres.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The pizza was topped with olives and anchovy.
  • A single anchovy can add a lot of umami flavor to the sauce.
  • She bought a tin of anchovy for the Caesar salad dressing.

Advanced Usage

• "Anchovy" as an uncountable noun for the product: When referring to the prepared fish as a food ingredient, it is often treated as an uncountable substance.
  • This recipe calls for two teaspoons of anchovy.
• In compound nouns (listed separately below): The word forms part of specific culinary terms.

Variants and Related Words

• Anchovies (n): The standard plural form.
  • The salad was sprinkled with anchovies.
• Anchovy paste (n): A smooth, concentrated paste made from anchovies.
  • Add a dab of anchovy paste to deepen the soup's flavor.
• Anchovy fillet (n): A boneless piece of an anchovy.
  • Garnish the dish with anchovy fillets and capers.

Synonyms

• Baitfish: A general term for small fish used as bait, which can include anchovies.
• Small fry: A colloquial term for very small fish.

Related Phrases

• "Packed like anchovies": An idiom describing people or things crowded very closely together, akin to how anchovies are tightly packed in a tin.
  • We were packed like anchovies on the subway during rush hour.

Noun

1. small herring-like plankton-eating fishes often canned whole or as paste; abundant in tropical waters worldwide
2. tiny fishes usually canned or salted; used for hors d'oeuvres or as seasoning in sauces