Where does “anchovy” come from?
Anchovy comes from Spanish anchova, which derives from Ligurian anciôa, a small Mediterranean fish whose ultimate origin remains uncertain.
anchovy (English): Any small saltwater fish of the Engraulidae...
Definitions
- Any small saltwater fish of the Engraulidae...
Ancestry of “anchovy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Anchovis | European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) |
| 2 | Dutch | ansjovis | An anchovy |
| 3 | Spanish | anchovas | plural of anchova |
| 4 | Spanish | anchova | Alternative form of anchoa; anchovy |
| 5 | Spanish | anchoa | anchovy |
| 6 | Ligurian | anciôa | anchovy |
| 7 | Latin | apiuva | — |
| 8 | Latin | aphye | small fry |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ἀφύη | small fry of various fish |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | φύω | To bring forth, produce, generate, cause to grow;... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuHyéti | to be becoming, to be growing, to be appearing |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 14 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |