2006-10-01 09:09:14 · 4 answers · asked by Anthony D 1 in Dining Out ➔ United States ➔ New York City
Etymology: Middle French, from desservir to clear the table, from des- de- + servir to serve, from Latin servire
2006-10-01 09:11:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dessert," meaning "pie, cake, ice cream or other sweet confection dangled in front of a child to provide the only conceivable motivation for eating Brussels sprouts," comes from the French word "disservir," meaning "to clear the table." This makes perfect sense if you recall that in restaurants, the waiter usually clears your table of dinner dishes, silverware and condiments before asking if you'd like to order dessert.
2006-10-01 20:34:12 · answer #2 · answered by Johnnysbar 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
des‧sert /[di-zurt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.
2. British. a serving of fresh fruit after the main course of a meal.
[Origin: 1780–90; < F, deriv. of desservir to clear the table. See dis-1, serve]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
2006-10-02 09:01:30 · answer #3 · answered by pskomorn 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=dessert
2006-10-01 16:24:48 · answer #4 · answered by stevejensen 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋