Word
cater
US/ˈkeɪtɝ/
UK/kˈeɪtɐ/
Definitions
01to provide food
v. to provide food and drink for a large group of people at an event like a wedding or meeting.
v. to provide professional food and beverage services for a social event or gathering. Often used with the preposition 'for'.
“The hotel will cater for the wedding reception next Saturday.”
“The local firm was hired to cater the international conference, providing three meals a day for over five hundred delegates.”
Usage
In British English, it is common to 'cater for' an event, while American English often uses 'cater' as a transitive verb without the preposition.
02to meet needs
v. to provide exactly what a particular person or group wants or needs.
v. to supply what is required or desired by a specific audience or demographic. Usually takes the preposition 'to' or 'for'.
“This new television channel caters to young children who love animals.”
“The boutique hotel specifically caters to business travellers who require high-speed internet and quiet working spaces.”
Usage
Commonly follows the pattern 'cater to' (US) or 'cater for' (UK).
Teaching tip
This sense often carries a slightly negative nuance if it implies someone is only doing what is easy or popular, such as 'catering to the lowest common denominator'.
Synonyms
03bell ringing
n. a special way of ringing nine church bells in a specific pattern.
n. a method of change ringing on nine bells, typically involving four pairs of bells changing places while a tenth bell remains in a fixed position.
“The church bells rang a complex cater to celebrate the holiday.”
“The guild of bell ringers performed a flawless cater, demonstrating the mathematical precision required for nine-bell change ringing.”
Technical
Usage
Used as a plural noun ('caters') to describe the specific system of changes.
Real-World Examples
“New York's Madison Square Garden is understood to be Sela's preference so that the fight - which will be broadcast on Netflix - can cater for American audiences.” “Steam-powered coffee machines were developed to cater to time-poor travellers, often on the Milan express - one theory for the name "espresso".” Etymology
From Middle English catour (“acater, provisioner”), aphetic form of acatour (“acater”), from Old French acater (“to buy, to purchase”). Equivalent to cate + -er.
Probably ultimately from French quatre (“four”), possibly via cater (“change-ringing”), although Liberman argues for a derivation from a North Germanic prefix meaning "crooked, angled, clumsy" from which he also derives cater-cousin and, via Norse, Old Irish cittach (“left-handed, awkward”). He finds this more likely than extension of the dice and change-ringing term cater as an adverb, given the likely cognates in other Germanic languages. Caterpillar and caterwaul are unrelated, being derived from cognates to cat, but may have influenced the pronunciation of Liberman's proposed earlier *cate- or undergone similar sound changes.
From French quatre (“four”). Doublet of cuatro.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cater