tablespoon

[tey-buhl-spoon]

noun

1. a spoon larger than a teaspoon or a dessert spoon, used in serving food at the table and as a standard measuring unit in recipes.

2. a tablespoonful.

tablespoon

/ ˈteɪbəlˌspuːn /

noun

1. a spoon, larger than a dessertspoon, used for serving food, etc

2. Also called: tablespoonful. the amount contained in such a spoon

3. a unit of capacity used in cooking, medicine, etc, equal to half a fluid ounce or three teaspoons

Word History and Origins

Origin of tablespoon¹

First recorded in 1755–65; table + spoon

Example Sentences

Every year there is the faintly absurd recipe of a dollop of briefing, several tablespoons of speculation and a sprinkling of leaks.

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There’s just a single tablespoon of sugar, enough to let the butter taste like itself.

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I like to rub mine with around four tablespoons of five spice powder, ¼ cup of brown sugar, one tablespoon each of ginger, garlic, and kosher salt, and enough olive oil to make a paste.

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In lieu of heavy cream, I added a few tablespoons of butter along with the milk.

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Beyond that, though, there’s a subtler set of talents, the ones that can’t be measured in tablespoons or minutes.

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