charcuterie
Americannoun
-
cooked, processed, or cured cold meats and meat products, originally and typically pork products, as sausages, pâtés, hams, etc.
-
a store where these products are sold.
noun
-
cooked cold meats
-
a shop selling cooked cold meats
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of charcuterie
1855–60; < French; Middle French chaircuterie, equivalent to chaircut ( ier ) charcutier + -erie -ery
Explanation
Charcuterie is a culinary term for prepared meats like bacon, sausage, salami, and prosciutto. It's also a term for a shop that specializes in them. If you've ever prepared or snacked on a charcuterie board, you probably picture a spread of meats, cheeses, fruit, olives, crackers, and other tasty items. These are often served before a meal or as party hors d'oeuvres. Technically, the word charcuterie refers just to the meat; in French, the word literally means "pork-butcher's shop," from char cuite, "cooked flesh."
Vocabulary lists containing charcuterie
National Spelling Bee '14: Semifinals and Finals
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 20–January 26, 2024
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
5th Grade World Cuisine, List 3
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“It was kind of learning in the process of making ‘Pig,’” Sarnoski, 38, says over a charcuterie board at a Miracle Mile restaurant during a recent interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
On offer: a spread of cheap charcuterie, including “the flaccid processed grey of a turkey ham.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Upon entering, we were met by a fleet of vintage Corvettes and a row of charcuterie boards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
Their charcuterie board this year will feature elements of a typical Christmas dinner, but with a twist.
From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025
The work of the members of the Provisional Government seemed mainly to consist in consuming enormous quantities of charcuterie and washing them down with copious libations of cheap wine.
From An Englishman in Paris Notes and Recollections by Albert D.
Banh mis already represent a melding of cultures — baguettes and charcuteries from colonial France; pickled vegetables, herbs and chilies from Vietnam.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 15, 2021
The Pinxto owners have turned their former space on Second Avenue into Bar Abajo, with a simple “gins & tins” menu of mostly cheeses, charcuteries and tin snacks such as octopus and sardines.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 31, 2017
There are four nearby tables piled high with grape leaves, various cheeses, pita bread tips, and charcuteries.
From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2012
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
