also cav·i·are (kăvˈē-ärˌ, käˈvē-)
noun The roe of a large fish, especially sturgeon, that is salted, seasoned, and eaten as a delicacy or relish.
Word History: Although caviar might seem to be something quintessentially Russian, the word
caviar is not, the native Russian term being
ikra. Caviar first came into English in the 16th century, probably by way of French and Italian, which borrowed it from Turkish
havyar. The source of the Turkish word is apparently an Iranian dialectal form related to the Persian word for “egg,”
khāyah, and this in turn goes back to the same Indo-European root that gives us the English words
egg and
oval. This rather exotic etymology is appropriate to a substance that is not to everyone's taste, giving rise to Shakespeare's famous phrase, “ 'twas caviary to the general,” the general public, that is.
