what does h'ors d'ourves really mean
I know it's an appetizer but in French what does it mean.
2006-09-02 13:48:09 · 9 answers · asked by song no one singz 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
I'm not sure if it's french or not. I took french for 3 years so it looks french and I need to know common french words and that's one of them that we use. I just don't know what it means
2006-09-02 13:53:38 · update #1
First of all, let me correct your spelling. It's spelled "Hors d'oeuvres".
It's a difficult one to litterally translate.
Hors means outside
d' is short for "of"
oeuvre is a word derived of ouvrage, which means work. Example: Oeuvre d'art = work of art.
So I guess I could explain Hors d'oeuvres as food that is artistically prepared, like little appetizers often are.
Just for fun: the word "entree" (which is a french word) in english is used to speak of a main course, while in french it means apetizer!
2006-09-02 14:02:10 · answer #1 · answered by Delphine F 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you knew only a little French, you might interpret this phrase as meaning “out of work,” but in fact it means little snack foods served before or outside of (“hors” ) the main dishes of a meal (the “oeuvres” ). English speakers have trouble mastering the sounds in this phrase, but it is normally rendered “or-DERVES,” in a rough approximation of the original. Mangled spellings like “hors’dourves” are not uncommon. Actually, many modern food writers have decided we needn’t try to wrap our tongues around this peculiar foreign phrase and now prefer “starters.” They are also commonly called “appetizers.”
2006-09-02 13:54:22 · answer #2 · answered by ted_armentrout 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's spelled "hors d'Åuvres" and literally means "outside the work". The primary work of a chef would be the main course, so the appetizer would fall in a category "outside" that primary work.
2006-09-02 13:55:12 · answer #3 · answered by ichliebekira 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hors d'Åuvre is French. Means "Outside the meal" or something along those lines.
2006-09-02 13:55:55 · answer #4 · answered by Aphrodite Jones 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is supposed to be french. But I know french and its just made up or someone a while back copied it wrong or translated it wrong from french and it stuck with society. I confirmed it with my French teacher aswell.
2006-09-02 15:30:22 · answer #5 · answered by Krumpli leves 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, it is "hors d'Åuvre" (what you eat at the beginning of a meal, vegetable salad, for exemple)
2006-09-02 13:55:05 · answer #6 · answered by wizzie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
little snacks before time(hors) and before the main meal(oeuvres) roughly
2006-09-02 13:56:47 · answer #7 · answered by wopotheclown 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its french for cocktail weenies.
2006-09-02 13:54:40 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
is that french? cuz i speak almost fluent
2006-09-02 13:50:38 · answer #9 · answered by Julia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋