(see below). Forms: 6 chauiale, 7 cavialy; 6 cavery, 7 caveari, caveary, (cauearee), cauiarie, 7–8 caviary; cavear(e, caveer, (7 gaueare, cavere, cavajar, cavayer, & cavier, kavia); 7– caviare, caviar. [Of uncertain origin, found in Turkish as khāvyār; in Italian in 16th c. as caviale (whence 16th c. F. cavial, Sp. cavial, 16th c. Eng. cavialy), also as caviaro, whence F. and Pg. caviar.
(‘It has no root in Turkish, and has not the look of a Turkish word. Redhouse in his MS. Thesaurus marks it as Italian-Turkish, looking upon it as borrowed from Italian.’ Prof. Ch. Rieu.)
In English occurring with great variety of spelling and pronunciation, after Italian and French, with various native modifications. Originally, caviā·ly, -ā·le, -ā·rie, -ā·re was of 4 syllables, with accent on the penult, as in Italian, but was sometimes reduced to 3 syllables, by slurring -iā-, as -yā-, and later with the accent shifted to the first syllable.]
1. The roe of the sturgeon and other large fish obtained from lakes and rivers of the east of Europe, pressed and salted, and eaten as a relish.
α. cavialy, caviarie, and allied forms:
1591. G. Fletcher, Russe Commw. (1857), 12. Of Ickary or cavery, a great quantitie is made upon the river of Volgha.
1598. Epulario, H ij. To dresse a kind of meat of the spawne of Sturgions, called Chauiale.
a. 1612. Harington, Epigr., III. (1633), 33. Yet eatst thou Ringoes and potato Rootes And Gaueare, but it litle bootes.
a. 1616. Beaum. & Fl., Passion. Mad-m., V. 162/1 (N.). Laugh…. Wide… Loud…. And vary…. One that ne’er tasted Caveare.
1616. Bullokar, Cauearee, strange meate like blacke sope.
1620. Shelton, Quix., IV. xiii. 103. Black Meat called Caviary, made of Fishes Eggs.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 835. What Strange Tastes delight the Taste; As Red-Herrings, Caucary, Parmizan, &c.
1639. Nabbes, Spring’s Glory. Anchoves & Caveary.
1655. Moufet & Bennet, Health’s Improv. (1746), 264. As for Cavialy … the Italian Proverb will euer be true … He that eateth of Cavialies, Eateth Salt, Dung, and Flies.
1702. W. J., trans. Bruyn’s Voy. Levant, xlii. 170. They eat it … like Caviary.
1721–1800. Bailey, Ca·viary [1731–61 also Cavee·r].
β. caviare, caviar, etc., of 3 or 2 syllables.
1620. E. Blount, Observ. & Disc. (N.). That the only delicacies be mushrooms, caveare, or snails.
1624. Capt. Smith, Virginia, VI. 211. Cauiare and Puttargo.
1628. Wither, Brit. Rememb., I. 345. Caveär, and twenty such like bables.
1663. R. Head, Hic et Ubique, 24. Potargo, Cavere, Olives and such like.
1673. Ray, Journ. Low C., II. 353. The red Cavear … made of the eggs or roo … of the Cyprinus.
1680. Morden, Geog. Rect. (1685), 62. Oyl and Cavayer about Volga. Ibid., 77. Three or 400 weight of Caveer.
1698. J. Crull, Muscovy, 163 (N.). Caviare, or Cavajar (by the Russians called Ikary) is made of the Roes of two different Fishes.
1708. Motteux, Rabelais, IV. xviii. Pots of Cavier.
1708. W. King, Art of Cookery, 61.
| What Lord of old wou’d bid his Cook prepare, | |
| Mangoes, Potargo, Champignons, Cavare? |
1730. Swift, Panegyr. Dean. And, for our home-bred British Cheer, Botargo, Catsup, and Caveer.
1740. R. Brookes, Art of Angling, I. xxxii. 74. A sort of Edible which they call Cavear, or Kavia.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1860), II. I. vi. 267/2. A kind of cavier.
1782. P. H. Bruce, Mem., VII. 236. What the Russians call Ikari, and we caviar.
1837. M. Donovan, Dom. Econ., II. 189. The roe is made into a caviare.
1853. Soyer, Pantroph., 217. Caviar of an inferior quality.
1870. Yeats, Nat. Hist. Comm., 325. Russian caviare, from the Black and Caspian Seas, in considered the best.
b. The circumstance that caviar is generally unpalatable to those who have not acquired a taste for it, is referred to by Shakespeare in a phrase which has become one of the commonplaces of literary quotation and allusion.
1602. Shaks., Ham., II. ii. 457. For the Play I remember pleas’d not the Million, ’twas Cauiarie to the Generall: but it was … an excellent Play.
1822. Hazlitt, Men & Mann., Ser. II. iii. (1869), 77. Nothing goes down with them but what is caviare to the multitude.
1827. Scott, Two Drovers, i. His own legends of clanfights and creaghs … would have been caviare to his companion.
1847. Barham, Ingold, Leg., St. Dunstan. The fare to which I allude, With as good table-beer as ever was brewed, Was all ‘caviare to the multitude.’
1880. Literary World, 13 Feb., 100/2. They … will be considered caviare to the general public.
