ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dish

n. countable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈdɪʃ// UK //dˈɪʃ// dish Archaic General-service Informal Slang

n. a container like a plate or bowl used for holding or serving food. It can also mean the food itself that is prepared in a specific way.

n. a shallow container used for cooking or serving food; by extension, a specific variety or preparation of food served as a meal.


SIMPLE

She puts the pasta into a large serving dish.

CONTEXTUAL

The waiter recommended the local seafood dish, which is prepared with fresh herbs and lemon.

COMPLEX

While the ceramic dish itself was an antique, the chef used it to present a modern fusion of traditional and contemporary culinary techniques.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English dissh, disch, from Old English disċ (“plate; bowl; dish”), from Proto-West Germanic disk (“table; dish”) (whence also Proto-Slavic dъska, whence Bulgarian дъска́ (dǎská), Polish deska, Russian доска́ (doská)), Russian чан (čan)) from Latin discus. Doublet of dais, desk, disc, discus, disk, and diskos. Cognates Cognate with Scots disch (“dish; plate”), Dutch dis (“table”), German Low German Disk, Disch (“table”), German Tisch (“table”), Danish disk (“dish; counter”), Swedish disk (“dish; counter”), Icelandic diskur (“dish; plate”), Finnish tiski (“desk, counter; dish”). Compare the identical meaning expansion (vessel for food, then also content of such a vessel, then also specific type of food): Bulgarian блю́до (bljúdo), Russian блю́до (bljúdo). For the roundness aspect compare Polish rondel (“pan, saucepan”) (< Latin rotundus (whence also English round)). Also compare typologically Proto-Slavic *misъka << Latin mēnsa; Ancient Greek πίναξ (pínax) (several meanings).

Usage

Commonly used in the plural 'dishes' to refer to all the items used during a meal that need washing.

Idioms1 entry

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