Etymology Dictionary

ANCHOVY,  a small fish.  (Span.)   Formerly written anchove.   Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy, speaks of 'sausages, anchoves, tobacco, caveare;' p. 106, ed. 1827.—Span. (and Portug.) anchova.   ¶ Remoter origin uncertain.   Mahn (in Webster) says 'a word of Iberian origin, lit. a dried or pickled fish, from Biscayan antzua, anchua, anchuva, dry.'   I find the Basque forms anchóa, ánchua, ánchova, signifying 'anchovy,' in the Dict. François-Basque by M.-H.-L. Fabre.   Again, in the Diccionaria Trilingue del padre Manuel de Larramendi, in Spanish, Basque, and Latin, I find:  'Seco, aplicado á los pechos de la muger, antzua, antzutua, Lat. siccus,' i.e. dry, applied to a woman's breasts, Basque antzua, antzutua, Lat. siccus.   Perhaps Mahn's suggestion is correct.