finger bowl

American

noun

a small bowl to hold water for rinsing the fingers at table.

finger bowl British

noun

a small bowl filled with water for rinsing the fingers at the table after a meal

"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

Etymology

Origin of finger bowl

First recorded in 1855–60

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.

And while a missing finger bowl won’t seriously mar anyone’s evening, missing Daniel’s cheese cart might.

From New York Times • Jul. 23, 2013

Barnett brings me a plate with a finger bowl and doily on it.

From Time Magazine Archive

I take a hand bath in the finger bowl and go back to work.

From Time Magazine Archive

Three glasses and a finger bowl were shattered by the explosion.

From Time Magazine Archive

A maid brought them a silver finger bowl and filled it out of a beautiful spouting golden jug, then drew a polished table to their side.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023