acciuga
anchovy
noun aht-CHOO-gah Rare
Origin: Possibly from Basque or Genoese dialect; the Ligurian anciua is a probable ancestor.
Usage Note
Acciuga (plural acciughe) refers to the anchovy fish. It is one of the staple ingredients of Italian cuisine — pizza, pasta alla puttanesca, and bagna cauda all rely on it. Alice is a regional synonym common in southern Italy and in contexts referring to fresh (not salt-cured) anchovies.
Examples
"La pizza era coperta di acciughe e capperi."
Natural Translation
The pizza was covered in anchovies and capers.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic
ItalianNow
5 min read