à la carte
American Heritage Dictionary:
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à la carte
also a la carte (ä'lə kärt', ăl'ə) 
adv. & adj.
With a separate price for each item on the menu.
adv. & adj.
With a separate price for each item on the menu.
[French : à, by + la, the + carte, menu.]
Oxford Food & Nutrition Dictionary:
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à la carte
Meal chosen from a list of foods and dishes available rather than from a set menu or meal (table d'hôte).
[ah lah KAHRT] A menu term signifying that each item is priced separately. See also prix fixe; table d'hôte.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'à la carte'
- Cuisines, Meals, and Restaurants - à la carte: (adj) designating foods priced and chosen separately by dish
- French - à la carte: lit. on the card; priced separately on the menu
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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À la carte
For other uses, see À la carte (disambiguation).
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Look up à la carte in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
À la carte (
/ælæˈkɑrt/)[1] is a French language loan phrase meaning "according to the menu", and used in
- A reference to a menu of items priced and ordered separately, i.e. the usual operation of restaurants (In contrast to a table d'hôte, at which a menu with limited or no choice is served at a fixed price.)
- To order an item from the menu on its own, e.g. a steak without the potatoes and vegetables is steak a la carte
The phrase was adopted into English in 1826, predating by a decade the common use of the French language loanword "menu".[2][3]
Other industries
"À la carte" has also been adopted in other industries to refer to a sales model where customers are allowed to select individual components for purchase rather than being required to purchase predefined packages. A notable example is Leica Cameras "Leica À la carte" for their M-System [4][5][6][7][8]
See also
- table d'hôte, the opposite of À la carte
- List of French words and phrases used by English speakers
- pro rata, a method of billing or other calculation based on proportional usage
References
- ^ "À la carte". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 3rd ed. 2001.
- ^ Richard Bailey, Eating Words, Michigan Today, 13 May 2008.
- ^ Menu, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Houghton Mifflin
- ^ [1]
- ^ Sirius A La Carte, a service offering a selection of audio channels
- ^ Web design "À la carte"
- ^ Ceramics à la Carte, a business offering paint-your-own pottery
- ^ A la carte cable television
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Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Food & Nutrition Dictionary
A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved.
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Barron's Food Lover's Companion
Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
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