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Dessert comes from a French word meaning what?

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dessert

American  

[dih-zurt] / dɪˈzɜrt /

noun

• desserts
  plural

1. cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.

2. British. a serving of fresh fruit after the main course of a meal.

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dessert British  

/ dɪˈzɜːt /

noun

1. the sweet, usually last course of a meal

2. (esp formerly) fruit, dates, nuts, etc, served at the end of a meal

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• desserts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dessert

First recorded in 1780–90; from French, derivative of desservir “to remove what was served, clear the table,” from Old French, from des- dis- ¹ + servir “to serve” ( see serve)

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Explanation

Served as the last course of a meal, a dessert is often sweet, like cake or pie. If you have a sweet tooth, you may wish it were the only course of the meal. The word dessert originates from an interesting French word, desservir, which actually means "to clear the table." After the dinner dishes are removed, the host brings out the dessert. These days, desserts don't always have to be a sweet course, but can instead be a savory or a cheese course. Other offbeat treats include Vidalia onion ice cream and radish pie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dessert desserts

Ideally after lunch, I’ll get dessert at Humphrey Yogart.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

While the other judges sometimes treat dessert as something illicit, Lawson’s unabashed enthusiasm for baked goods is a welcome change.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

There’s a lot Tom Nancy likes about his new life as a human boy: sandwiches, climbing trees, dessert after dinner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

These companies saw hundreds of customers queueing to create their own dessert pot, despite it not being a particularly cheap treat, with tubs costing as much as £12.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Tarte Philippe, the indescribable dessert . . .” Penelope stopped, for it occurred to her that it might be wise to downplay her firsthand knowledge of this tasty treat.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

The findings suggest that a compound commonly associated with desserts and sweet fragrances could eventually contribute to an entirely different field: helping scientists develop better ways to protect damaged tissue and support healing.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

I missed the creative process and dreaming-up desserts seemed like the perfect outlet.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

“Wattle seed’s coffee and chocolate notes add a native differential to certain dishes, but specifically desserts and canapés,” says Bendrau.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Cook and former Great British Bake Off star Crystelle Pereira says "sweetcorn belongs in desserts"

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

When my father was growing up inside the Old City of Jerusalem—that's the ancient part of town inside the stone wall—he and the kids on his street liked to trade desserts after dinner.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

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Related Words

• cake
• candy
• confection
• cookie
• fruit
• ice cream
• pastry
• pie
• sweet

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