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dessert

  (dĭ-zûrt') pronunciation
n.
  1. A usually sweet course or dish, as of fruit, ice cream, or pastry, served at the end of a meal.
  2. Chiefly British. Fresh fruit, nuts, or sweetmeats served after the sweet course of a dinner.

[French, from Old French desservir, to clear the table : des-, de- + servir, to serve; see serve.]


 
 
Word Tutor: dessert
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Something sweet served at the end of a meal.

pronunciation Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first. — Ernestine Ulmer.

 
Wikipedia: dessert
Meals_Header.png
Part of the Meals series
Common meals...
Breakfast
Second breakfast
Elevenses
Brunch
Tiffin
Lunch
Tea
Dinner
Supper
Dessert
Snack
See also...

Cuisine | Kitchen

Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses. The word comes from the Old French desservir, "to clear the table." Common desserts include cakes, cookies, fruits, pastries and candies.

Dessert, as served in a Swiss mountain restaurant (the dots around the plate are jelly drops)
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Dessert, as served in a Swiss mountain restaurant (the dots around the plate are jelly drops)

The word dessert is most commonly used for this course in U.S., Canada, Australia, and Ireland, while sweet, pudding or afters would be more typical terms in the UK and some other Commonwealth countries, including India. According to Debrett's, pudding is the proper term, dessert is only to be used if the course consists of fruit, and sweet is colloquial. This, of course, reflects the upper-class/upper-middle-class usage. More commonly, the words simply form a class shibboleth; pudding being the upper-class and upper-middle-class word to use for sweet food served after the main course, sweet, afters and dessert being considered non-U. However, dessert is considered slightly better than the other two, owing to many young people, whose parents say pudding, acquiring the word from American media.[1][2]

Although the custom of eating fruits and nuts after a meal may be very old, dessert as a standard part of a Western meal is a relatively recent development.[citation needed] Before the rise of the middle class in the 19th-century, and the mechanization of the sugar industry, sweets were a privilege of the aristocracy, or a rare holiday treat. As sugar became cheaper and more readily available, the development and popularity of desserts spread accordingly.

Some have a separate final sweet course but mix sweet and savoury dishes throughout the meal as in Chinese cuisine, or reserve elaborate dessert concoctions for special occasions. Often, the dessert is seen as a separate meal or snack rather than a course, and may be eaten apart from the meal (usually in less formal settings). Some restaurants specialize in dessert. In colloquial American usage "dessert" has a broader meaning and can refer to anything sweet that follows a meal, including milkshakes and other beverages.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
  1. ^ Watching the English by Kate Fox. ISBN 0-340-81886-7
  2. ^ Class by Jilly Cooper

External links


 
Translations: Translations for: Dessert

Dansk (Danish)
n. - dessert, frugtdessert

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    dessertske, dessertskefuld

Nederlands (Dutch)
dessert (nagerecht)

Français (French)
n. - dessert

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    cuillère à dessert

Deutsch (German)
n. - Dessert, Nachspeise

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    Dessertlöffel

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (μαγειρ.) επιδόρπιο, γλυκό (μετά το γεύμα)

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    κουτάλι της κομπόστας

Italiano (Italian)
dolce

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    cucchiaino da frutta

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sobremesa (f)

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    colher (f) de sobremesa

Русский (Russian)
десерт

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    десертная ложка

Español (Spanish)
n. - postre, fruta fresca luego del plato principal

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    cuchara de postre

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - dessert

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
餐后甜点

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    餐后甜点匙

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 餐後甜點

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    餐後甜點匙

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 디저트

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - デザート

idioms:

  • dessert spoon    デザートスプーン

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حلوى بعد الطعام‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פרפרת, ליפתן‬


 
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American Sign Language
commtechlab.msu.edu
 
 
 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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