hors d'oeuvre

See also: hors-d'oeuvre and hors-d'œuvre

English

Alternative forms

• hors-d'oeuvre
• hors d'œuvre
• hors-d'œuvre

Etymology

Borrowed from French hors-d’œuvre.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɔːˈdɜːv/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɔɹˈdɝv/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

hors d'oeuvre (plural hors d'oeuvre or hors d'oeuvres)

1. (food) A small, light, and usually savory first course in a meal.
2. (by extension) Anything of secondary concern; not the primary thing.
3. (dated, rare) Something unusual or extraordinary.

Quotations

• 1920, G. K. Chesterton, chapter XIII, in The New Jerusalem:

  It seems quaintest of all when, at some Jewish luncheon parties, a tray of hats is actually handed round, and each guest helps himself to a hat as a sort of hors d'oeuvre.

• 1925, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, chapter 3, in The Great Gatsby, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1953, →ISBN, →OCLC:

  On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors-d’oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold.

Synonyms

(food):

• apéritif
• appetizer
• entrée
• starter
• tapa

 

Translations

appetizer

• Armenian: նախուտեստ (hy) (naxutest)
• Belarusian: заку́ска f (zakúska), пераку́ска f (pjerakúska), пераку́с m (pjerakús)
• Bulgarian: ордьо́вър m (ordjóvǎr), мезе́ n (mezé), предя́стие n (predjástie), заку́ска (bg) f (zakúska)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 前菜 (zh) (qiáncài), 小吃 (zh) (xiǎochī), 點心／点心 (zh) (diǎnxin), 冷盤／冷盘 (zh) (lěngpán), 開胃菜／开胃菜 (zh) (kāiwèicài)

• Czech: předkrm (cs) m
• Danish: forret (da) c, hors d'oeuvre
• Dutch: hors-d'oeuvre (nl) m
• Esperanto: antaŭmanĝaĵo
• Finnish: alkupala (fi)
• French: hors-d’œuvre (fr) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Hors d’œuvre n, Vorspeise (de) f
• Greek: ορεκτικό (el) n (orektikó)
• Hungarian: előétel (hu)
• Japanese: オードブル (ōdoburu), つき出し (つきだし, tsukidashi), 突き出し (ja) (つきだし, tsukidashi), 前菜 (ja) (ぜんさい, zensai), アペタイザー (apetaizā)
• Korean: 오르되브르 (ko) (oreudoebeureu), 전채 (jeonchae), 애피타이저 (ko) (aepitaijeo)
• Latin: gustātiō f, prōmulsis f
• Macedonian: о́рдевер m (órdever)
• Maori: kūmamatanga, whakapūwharu
• Polish: zakąska (pl) f, przystawka (pl) f
• Portuguese: aperitivo (pt) m
• Russian: заку́ска (ru) f (zakúska), переку́ска (ru) f (perekúska), переку́с (ru) m (perekús)
• Slovak: predkrm m, predjedlo n
• Spanish: aperitivo (es) m
• Swedish: förrätt (sv) c
• Tagalog: pampagana
• Thai: ออเดิร์ฟ (ɔɔ-də́əp)
• Turkish: ordövr (tr)
• Ukrainian: заку́ска f (zakúska), за́куска f (zákuska), пере́куска f (perékuska)
• Volapük: büzib (vo)

anything of secondary concern

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 次要的事情 (cìyào de shìqing)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: sivuseikka
• French: rien (fr), gnognotte (fr) f, broutille (fr) f, pipi de chat (fr) m
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} forréttur m, ^{(please verify)} smáréttur m

See also

• canapé

French

Etymology

Literally, “apart from the work”, in other words, "apart from the main meal"

Noun

hors d’oeuvre m (plural hors d’oeuvre)

1. Nonstandard spelling of hors d’œuvre.

Usage notes

• The œ ligature is often replaced in contemporary French with oe (the œ character does not appear on AZERTY keyboards), but this is nonstandard.