rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryroeFish eggs
noun

roe

ROH/rəʊ/

Fish eggs, especially as food.

Translucent orange roe fills the bowl and tops the sushi piece beside it.

A small ceramic bowl piled with translucent orange salmon roe, with a spoonful lifted just above the bowl and a roe-topped sushi piece alongside to establish its use as food.
Etymology
roeMiddle Englishmass of fish eggs

Middle English roughe already meant a mass of fish eggs, so the culinary sense preserves that meaning while emphasizing their use as food. Its earlier ancestry is uncertain.

In context

Business Insider13:22
Caviar is made from the roe, or the eggs, of sturgeons, which are critically endangered.
11 Of The Most Faked Foods In The World | Big Business | Business Insider Marathon

More examples

  • We spread salted cod roe on slices of toast.
  • Fresh roe must stay cold until it is prepared.
  • Salmon roe has larger eggs than trout roe.

Forms

roe · roes

Similar words

caviar
Usually refers to salted sturgeon roe served as food.
spawn
Emphasizes eggs laid by aquatic animals, rather than food.