dessert

[dih-zurt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dessert ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

Origin of dessert

1780–90; < French, derivative of desservir to clear the table. See dis-¹, serve

Can be confuseddesert dessertdeserts desserts

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dessert

sweet, confection, candy, fruit, cookie, pastry, cake, pie, pudding, tart

Examples from the Web for dessert

Contemporary Examples of dessert

If liquor and dessert are equally essential to you enjoying the holiday, at least choose your libation wisely.
12 Thanksgiving Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work
DailyBurn
November 27, 2014
Dessert is a slice of melt-in-your-mouth treacle tart with a dollop of perfectly tart clotted cream.
Join The Mile High (Dining) Club
Allison McNearney
September 26, 2014
“No thanks,” I said when my mother offered me dessert after dinner.
The Biggest Myths and Truths About Baby Making
Jean Twenge
July 25, 2014
And the latest hot trend in dessert has proven to be something of a backlash to cupcakes.
The Cupcake Boom’s Sugar High Finally Crashes
Daniel Gross
July 8, 2014
In other words, it is candy, or the meal formerly known as dessert.
Your Health Food’s Hidden Sugar Bomb
Michael Schulson
July 8, 2014

Historical Examples of dessert

The sauce to use depends on the dessert that it is to accompany.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Other sauces, however, may be used with this dessert if desired.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
The dessert was on the table before Clarence had done with the mammoth.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
"Mendiants" are raisins and nuts, the nearest to dessert that at this season you could get at Garniers.
The Incomplete Amorist
E. Nesbit
Pierre did not speak out until they were partaking of dessert.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for dessert

dessert

noun

the sweet, usually last course of a meal

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

Word Origin for dessert

C17: from French, from desservir to clear a table, from des- dis- 1 + servir to serve

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

Word Origin and History for dessert

c.1600, from Middle French dessert (mid-16c.) "last course," literally "removal of what has been served," from desservir "clear the table," literally "un-serve," from des- "remove, undo" (see dis-) + Old French servir "to serve" (see serve (v.)).