Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dessert

/dɪˈzɝt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.83 in modern English

Syllables: dessert
IPA: /dɪˈzɝt/

8

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The last course of a meal, consisting of fruit, sweet confections etc.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A sweet dish or confection served as the last course of a meal.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"I ordered hummus for a starter, a steak as the main course, and chocolate cake for dessert."
"Can I see the dessert menu, please?"
"Trifle is a favourite dessert of the English, but rivalled by pavlova in Australia and New Zealand."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Old French des- Middle French des- Proto-Indo-European *ser- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *serwos Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *serweyéti Proto-Italic *serwijeti Proto-Italic *serwijit Proto-Italic *serwiō Latin serviō Old French servir Middle French servir Middle French desservir Middle French dessertbor. English dessert 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.

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: dessert

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /dɪˈzɝt/
British English: /dɪˈzɜːt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

desserts (plural) desert (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

dessertful dessertless dessertlike dessertspoon dessertware desserty nondessert predessert

Phrases

dessert bar dessert fork dessert grape dessert-plate dessert spoon dessert stomach dessert wine

Synonyms

afters pudding sweet entremets

Rhymes With

hurt shirt alert dirt insert skirt kurt assert flirt bert burt divert

Questions

How do you pronounce dessert?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈzɝt/.
What does dessert mean?: The last course of a meal, consisting of fruit, sweet confections etc.
Where does dessert come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce dessert

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dessert”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈzɝt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “dessert”.
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