Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The roe of a large fish, especially sturgeon, that is salted, seasoned, and eaten as a delicacy or relish.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A preparation for the table of the roe of certain large fish preserved by salting.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The roes of the sturgeon, prepared and salted; -- used as a relish, esp. in Russia.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun roe of the sturgeon or other large fish, considered a delicacy

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun salted roe of sturgeon or other large fish; usually served as an hors d'oeuvre

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of caviarie (probably from obsolete Italian caviari, pl. of caviaro) or from French caviare, both from Turkish havyar, from Persian khāvyār; akin to khāyah, egg, from Middle Persian khāyak; see awi- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French caviar, from Turkish havyar, probably from Persian خاویار (xâvyâr), from خایه (xâye, "egg").

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Examples

Comments

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  • Originates from the Turkish khavyar, first appearing in English print in 1591.

    January 2, 2009

  • means 'egg-holder' in persian: khaviyar (خاویار)

    August 30, 2009

  • "Asked to collect caviar for a cocktail party, I was offered some at 3s 6d and some at 27s 6d a tin. I am told that the cheap variety is the spawn of a toad cultivated in Australia; the dearer one is, of course, sturgeon's eggs." - Raymond Bush, A Fruit Grower's Diary-74; The Countryman, (a British rural agriculture periodical), Autumn 1955, p.59.

    November 6, 2009

  • "Caviar was regarded as a delicacy too refined to be appreciated by the vulgar taste; hence Shakspere's application of the word to a play which the vulgar could not relish."

    --from the Century Dictionary

    April 6, 2011