à la carte
[ ah luh-kahrt, al-uh; French ala-kart ]
adjective, adverb
with a separate price for each dish offered on the menu: dinner à la carte.: Compare prix fixe, table d'hôte.
with a separate price for each item on a list: Spa treatments can be booked à la carte, or you can choose one of our packages.
Origin of à la carte
1First recorded in 1815–20; from French: literally, “according to the menu”; see origin at carte
Words Nearby à la carte
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for à la carte
à la carte
/ (ɑː lɑː ˈkɑːt, æ lə, French a la kart) /
adjective, adverb
(of a menu or a section of a menu) having dishes listed separately and individually priced: Compare table d'hôte
(of a dish) offered on such a menu; not part of a set meal
Origin of à la carte
1C19: from French, literally: according to the card
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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