caviar

noun

cav·​i·​ar ˈka-vē-ˌär 

 also  ˈkä-

variants or less commonly caviare

1

: processed salted roe of large fish (such as sturgeon)

2

: something considered too delicate or lofty for mass appreciation

—usually used in the phrase caviar to the general

3

: something considered the best of its kind

Did you know?

The eggs, or roe, of sturgeon are called caviar. Preserved with salt, caviar is usually eaten as an appetizer. Most true caviar is produced in Russia and Iran, from fish taken from the Caspian and Black seas. The best grade, beluga, is prepared from large black or gray eggs; fresh beluga caviar is relatively scarce and thus expensive. Lesser grades are from smaller, denser eggs. In the U.S., the roe of salmon, whitefish, lumpfish, and paddlefish is sometimes sold under the name caviar.

Examples of caviar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Next to me is a shabby white table with an old white plate and a sandwich with butter and yellow caviar on the side. —Mireille Juchau, The Dial, 4 Feb. 2025

Moonlight offers a creative menu of mixed drinks such as the Moonshadow (featuring bourbon, rum, coffee, and a splash of bitters) and the Dreamweaver (whiskey, vermouth, coffee liqueur, and grapefruit bitters) as well as luxury finger foods such as caviar bumps and steak tartare rolls. —Keyaira Boone, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2025

Fast forward to 2024, and Mar’s Lunar New Year party at her West Village hotspot, Le B, saw Martha Stewart holding court in the kitchen as gold confetti showering a crowd noshing on caviar and fried chicken. —Leah Faye Cooper, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2025

Little luxuries like the crunchy pistachio-cream Dubai chocolate bar and caviar bumps were big. —Kim Severson, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

earlier cavery, caviarie, from obsolete Italian caviari, plural of caviaro, from Turkish havyar

First Known Use

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

caviar

noun

cav·​i·​ar

variants also caviare

ˈkav-ē-ˌär 

 also  ˈkäv-

: the salted eggs of a large fish (as the sturgeon) usually served as an appetizer