dessert
n. C / Un. a sweet food that you eat at the end of a meal. It is usually something like cake, fruit, or ice cream.
n. a sweet course served at the conclusion of a meal. Often contrasted with the main course or savory dishes.
We had chocolate cake for dessert.
After finishing their pasta, the guests were offered a choice of fresh fruit or lemon tart for dessert.
The restaurant is famous for its elaborate dessert menu, which features traditional pastries alongside modern interpretations of classic sweets.
Borrowed from Middle French dessert, from desservir (“disserve”), from dés- (“dis-”) and servir (“serve”), thus literally meaning “removal of what has been served”. Note: It was erroneously suggested (e.g. in "Glucose syrups: Technology and Applications" (Peter Hull, 2010)) that the word is derived from the name of Benjamin Delessert, the inventor of beet sugar. However, the term predates him by at least a century.
Uncountable when referring to the course in general; countable when referring to specific types or portions of sweet dishes.