dessert
UK /dɪˈzɜːt/ · US /dɪˈzɝt/ noun
Forms desserts desert
- noun The last course of a meal, consisting of fruit, sweet confections etc. “I ordered hummus for a starter, a steak as the main course, and chocolate cake for dessert.”
- noun A sweet dish or confection served as the last course of a meal. “Trifle is a favourite dessert of the English, but rivalled by pavlova in Australia and New Zealand.”
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French dessert, from desservir (“disserve”), from dés- (“dis-”) and servir (“serve”), thus literally meaning “removal of what has been served”.
Note: It was erroneously suggested (e.g. in "Glucose syrups: Technology and Applications" (Peter Hull, 2010)) that the word is derived from the name of Benjamin Delessert, the inventor of beet sugar. However, the term predates him by at least a century.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A service of pastry, fruits, or sweetmeats, at the close of a feast or entertainment; pastry, fruits, etc., forming the last course at dinner.
Etymology [F., fr. desservir to remove from table, to clear the table; pref. des- (L. dis-) + servir to serve, to serve at table. See Serve.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dessert”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details