Orts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small pieces or leftovers of food, often discarded after a meal
2. scraps or remnants from a larger quantity of provisions
3. trivial or unimportant remnants that remain after the essential parts have been used

Etymology: "Orts" is the plural of "ort," and the singular has a surprising double life. As a word for scraps of food left on a plate, it comes from Old English "or-," meaning "leftover" or "refuse," which pairs with "eat" to form a compound that once meant something like "eaten-off remains." Related forms turn up across the North Sea: Middle Low German "orte" meant "refuse of food," and Middle Dutch and Middle High German had close equivalents, so the word was shared among neighbouring Germanic speakers. The same spelling also names a small coin, and this sense has a different origin. It probably came into English from central European languages that used the coin, such as German "Ort," meaning a quarter of a thaler, and Polish "ort." The coin and the food-scrap meanings are therefore best treated as two separate words that happen to look identical.

Synonyms: scraps, remnants, leftovers

Antonyms: abundance, plenty