flatware

[flat-wair]

noun

1. utensils, as knives, forks, and spoons, used at the table for serving and eating food.

2. dishes or containers for the table that are more or less flat, as plates and saucers (hollowware ).

flatware

/ ˈflætˌwɛə /

noun

1. cutlery

2. any relatively flat tableware such as plates, saucers, etc Compare hollowware

Word History and Origins

Origin of flatware¹

First recorded in 1850–55; flat ¹ + ware ¹

Example Sentences

So many sellers have swarmed Manhattan’s Diamond District with bracelets and flatware that buyers have had trouble keeping enough cash on hand.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When we’re feeling flush, a sensation most of us haven’t enjoyed in quite some time, some of us invest in matching plates and flatware.

Read more on Salon

Unlike with curtains or cabinets, good, functional flatware is all made of the same material: 18/10 stainless steel.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When the dishwashing machine finishes, the pans, plates, glasses and flatware are especially hot.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She sold flatware, stemware and linens, setting the pieces out on antique furniture — marble topped butcher tables, rattan settees, Art Deco bars — which, because customers asked, she began to sell too.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• cutlery 
• tableware