caviar

Noun

Synonyms: caviare

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

salted roe of sturgeon or other large fish; usually served as an hors d'oeuvreSynonyms: caviare

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Hausen \Hau"sen\ (h[add]"s[e^]n), n. [G.] (Zool.) A large sturgeon (Acipenser huso syn. Huso huso) from the region of the Black Sea; also called Beluga. It is sometimes twelve feet long, and provides the highest quality caviar. [1913 Webster +PJC]

Beluga \Be*lu"ga\ (b[-e]*l[=u]"g[.a]), n. [Russ. bieluga a sort of large sturgeon, prop. white fish, fr. bieluii white. The whale is now commonly called bieluka in Russian.]

1.(Zool.) A cetacean allied to the dolphins. [1913 Webster]

Note: The northern beluga (Delphinapterus catodon) is the white whale and white fish of the whalers. It grows to be from twelve to eighteen feet long. [1913 Webster]

2.the sturgeon (Huso huso) native to the Black Sea and Caspian Sea; -- also called hausen. It is valued for its roe, sold as caviar, and is also used for production of isinglass. See also sturgeon. [PJC]

3.the caviar obtained from the beluga[2]; -- also called beluga caviar. The caviar of the beluga is considered the finest sort, larger and of a taste superior to that obtained from other sturgeon. See also sturgeon and caviar. [PJC]

Caviar \Cav"i*ar\, Caviare \Ca*viare"\, n. [F. caviar, fr. It. caviale, fr. Turk. Hav[imac][=a]r.] The roes of the sturgeon, prepared and salted; -- used as a relish, esp. in Russia. [1913 Webster]

Note: Caviare was considered a delicacy, by some, in Shakespeare's time, but was not relished by most. Hence Hamlet says of a certain play. "'T was caviare to the general," i. e., above the taste of the common people. [1913 Webster]