Standard Lemma guide

cutlery

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈkʌt.lə.ɹi/
  • /ˈkʊt.lə.ɹi/ foot-strut split
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH1 T L ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Sharp cutting utensils.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Proper maintenance of your cutlery will keep the blades from dulling.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Eating or serving utensils such as knives, forks, and spoons.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, uncountable, usually

Examples

  • a cutlery set
  • This cutlery comes from Normandy, France.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flatware, silverware

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The business of a cutler.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

tableware implements for cutting and eating food

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: eating utensil

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tableware

Narrower terms: fork, spoon, Spork, table knife

5

noun

Meaning 5

a cutting implement; a tool for cutting

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cutter, cutting tool

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cutting implement

Narrower terms: bolt cutter, cigar cutter, die, edge tool, glass cutter, tile cutter

History

Etymology

From Middle English cotellerie, cutleri (“the cutler’s art or craft”), from Old French coutelerie (modern French coutellerie).

Across languages

Translations

71 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: vilka-qaşıq — eating and serving utensils
  • Bulgarian: прибори (pribori) — eating and serving utensils
  • Catalan: coberts — eating and serving utensils
  • Catalan: coberteria — eating and serving utensils
  • Chinese Cantonese: 餐具 (caan1 geoi6) — eating and serving utensils
  • Chinese Mandarin: 餐具 (cānjù) — eating and serving utensils
  • Czech: příbor — eating and serving utensils
  • Danish: bestik — eating and serving utensils
  • Dutch: bestek — eating and serving utensils
  • Dutch: couvert — eating and serving utensils
  • Esperanto: manĝilaro — eating and serving utensils
  • Faroese: borðbúnaður — eating and serving utensils
  • Finnish: ruokailuvälineet — eating and serving utensils
  • Finnish: aterimet — eating and serving utensils
  • French: couverts — eating and serving utensils
  • French: couverts de table — eating and serving utensils
  • French: services — eating and serving utensils
  • Georgian: დანა-ჩანგალი (dana-čangali) — eating and serving utensils
  • German: Essbesteck — eating and serving utensils
  • German: Besteck — eating and serving utensils
  • Greek: μαχαιροπήρουνα (machairopírouna) — eating and serving utensils
  • Haitian Creole: istansil — eating and serving utensils
  • Hebrew: סַכּוּ״ם (sakúm) — eating and serving utensils
  • Hungarian: evőeszközök — eating and serving utensils
  • Icelandic: hnífapör — eating and serving utensils
  • Indonesian: alat makan — eating and serving utensils
  • Italian: coltelleria — eating and serving utensils
  • Italian: posate — eating and serving utensils
  • Japanese: カトラリー (katorarī) — eating and serving utensils
  • Korean: 칼붙이 (kalbuchi) — eating and serving utensils
  • Korean: 수저 (sujeo) — eating and serving utensils
  • Korean: 커틀러리 (keoteulleori) — eating and serving utensils
  • Latin: ferramenta — eating and serving utensils
  • Macedonian: при́бор (príbor) — eating and serving utensils
  • Maltese: pożati — eating and serving utensils
  • Maltese: għodda tal-kċina — eating and serving utensils
  • Māori: utauta kai — eating and serving utensils
  • Māori: pāokaoka — eating and serving utensils
  • Norman: coutell'lie — eating and serving utensils
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bestikk — eating and serving utensils
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bestikk — eating and serving utensils
  • Occitan: cobèrts — eating and serving utensils
  • Polish: sztućce — eating and serving utensils
  • Portuguese: talheres — eating and serving utensils
  • Punjabi: ਕਟਲਰੀ (kaṭlarī) — eating and serving utensils
  • Romanian: tacâmuri — eating and serving utensils
  • Romanian: cuțitărie — eating and serving utensils
  • Russian: столо́вые прибо́ры (stolóvyje pribóry) — eating and serving utensils
  • Russian: прибо́ры (pribóry) — eating and serving utensils
  • Serbo-Croatian: прибор за јело — eating and serving utensils
  • Serbo-Croatian: е̏сца̄јг — eating and serving utensils
  • Serbo-Croatian: pribor za jelo — eating and serving utensils
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȅscājg — eating and serving utensils
  • Slovak: príbor — eating and serving utensils
  • Slovene: jedilni pribor — eating and serving utensils
  • Spanish: cubertería — eating and serving utensils
  • Spanish: cubiertos — eating and serving utensils
  • Spanish: cubiertería — eating and serving utensils
  • Swedish: bestick — eating and serving utensils
  • Tagalog: kubyertos — eating and serving utensils
  • Tajik: хомчини (xomčin-i) — eating and serving utensils
  • Telugu: కట్లెరీ (kaṭlerī) — eating and serving utensils
  • Turkish: çatal-bıçak takımı — eating and serving utensils
  • Turkish: sofra takımı — eating and serving utensils
  • Turkish: takım — eating and serving utensils
  • Ukrainian: столо́ві прибо́ри (stolóvi prybóry) — eating and serving utensils
  • Urdu: کٹلری — eating and serving utensils
  • Vietnamese: muỗng đũa, muỗng nĩa, dao nĩa, thìa muỗng — eating and serving utensils
  • Welsh: cyllyll a ffyrc — eating and serving utensils
  • Xhosa: zingahlanjwanga — eating and serving utensils
  • Zulu: sezipuni — eating and serving utensils
Real reading context

cutlery in complete knowledge articles