Appetizer

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæpɪˌtaɪzə/

Definitions

1. A small portion of food served at the start of a meal to stimulate the appetite
2. A light dish presented before the main course intended to whet one's hunger
3. An introductory serving meant to be eaten before the primary meal to enhance taste

Etymology: The word "appetizer" is a simple formation: "appetize" (to whet the appetite) with the agent suffix "-er," which English inherited through Middle English from Old French "-ier" and ultimately from Latin "-arius," a suffix that marked a person or thing connected with something. So an appetizer is, literally, something that does the appetizing. The verb "appetize" is itself the older piece of the story. It was formed in English from "appetite," which came into the language through Old French from Latin "appetitus," meaning a longing or desire for something. English speakers thus built a verb from a noun of desire, then turned that verb into a noun for the small dish that produces the desire.

Synonyms: starter, hors d'oeuvre, snack, first course, nibble