Phrase guide

hors d'oeuvre

noun · 4 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɔːˈdɜːv/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˌɔɹˈdɝv/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small, light, and usually savory first course in a meal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: food, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Anything preliminary and of secondary concern.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something unusual or extraordinary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a dish served as an appetizer before the main meal

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: appetizer, appetiser, starter

Narrower terms: stuffed mushroom, rollmops, pigs in blankets

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French hors d'œuvre.

Across languages

Translations

61 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: նախուտեստ (naxutest) — appetizer
  • Belarusian: заку́ска (zakúska) — appetizer
  • Belarusian: пераку́ска (pjerakúska) — appetizer
  • Belarusian: пераку́с (pjerakús) — appetizer
  • Bulgarian: ордьо́вър (ordjóvǎr) — appetizer
  • Bulgarian: мезе́ (mezé) — appetizer
  • Bulgarian: предя́стие (predjástie) — appetizer
  • Bulgarian: заку́ска (zakúska) — appetizer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 前菜 (qiáncài) — appetizer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小吃 (xiǎochī) — appetizer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 點心 /点心 (diǎnxin) — appetizer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 冷盤 /冷盘 (lěngpán) — appetizer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 開胃菜 /开胃菜 (kāiwèicài) — appetizer
  • Czech: předkrm — appetizer
  • Danish: forret — appetizer
  • Danish: hors d'oeuvre — appetizer
  • Dutch: hors-d'oeuvre — appetizer
  • Esperanto: antaŭmanĝaĵo — appetizer
  • Finnish: alkupala — appetizer
  • French: hors-d'œuvre — appetizer
  • German: Hors d’œuvre — appetizer
  • German: Vorspeise — appetizer
  • Greek: ορεκτικό (orektikó) — appetizer
  • Hungarian: előétel — appetizer
  • Japanese: オードブル (ōdoburu) — appetizer
  • Japanese: つき出し (tsukidashi) — appetizer
  • Japanese: 突き出し (tsukidashi) — appetizer
  • Japanese: 前菜 (zensai) — appetizer
  • Japanese: アペタイザー (apetaizā) — appetizer
  • Korean: 오르되브르 (oreudoebeureu) — appetizer
  • Korean: 전채 (jeonchae) — appetizer
  • Korean: 애피타이저 (aepitaijeo) — appetizer
  • Latin: gustātiō — appetizer
  • Latin: prōmulsis — appetizer
  • Macedonian: о́рдевер (órdever) — appetizer
  • Māori: kūmamatanga — appetizer
  • Māori: whakapūwharu — appetizer
  • Polish: zakąska — appetizer
  • Polish: przystawka — appetizer
  • Portuguese: aperitivo — appetizer
  • Russian: заку́ска (zakúska) — appetizer
  • Russian: переку́ска (perekúska) — appetizer
  • Russian: переку́с (perekús) — appetizer
  • Slovak: predkrm — appetizer
  • Slovak: predjedlo — appetizer
  • Spanish: aperitivo — appetizer
  • Swedish: förrätt — appetizer
  • Tagalog: pampagana — appetizer
  • Thai: ออเดิร์ฟ (ɔɔ-də́əp) — appetizer
  • Turkish: ordövr — appetizer
  • Ukrainian: заку́ска (zakúska) — appetizer
  • Ukrainian: за́куска (zákuska) — appetizer
  • Ukrainian: пере́куска (perékuska) — appetizer
  • Volapük: büzib — appetizer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 次要的事情 (cìyào de shìqing) — anything preliminary and of secondary concern
  • Finnish: sivuseikka — anything preliminary and of secondary concern
  • French: rien — anything preliminary and of secondary concern
  • French: gnognotte — anything preliminary and of secondary concern
  • French: broutille — anything preliminary and of secondary concern
  • French: pipi de chat — anything preliminary and of secondary concern
  • Polish: przystawka — anything preliminary and of secondary concern