Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hors d'oeuvre

/ˌɔɹˈdɝv/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.51 in modern English

Syllables: hors d'oeu-vre
IPA: /ˌɔɹˈdɝv/

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A small, light, and usually savory first course in a meal.

noun

Anything preliminary and of secondary concern.

noun

Something unusual or extraordinary.

Dated

Example Sentences

"His price was five hundred pounds in English or French gold—an interesting phase of your ordinary blackmailer's antipathy to paper—merely an hors d'oeuvre to the solid things to come, of course."

Etymology

Borrowed from French hors-d'œuvre.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌɔɹˈdɝv/
British English: /ˌɔːˈdɜːv/

Usage

Dated

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Food.

Inflected Forms

hors d'oeuvres (plural) hors-d'oeuvre (alternative) hors d'œuvre (alternative) hors-d'œuvre (alternative)

Phrases

horse's doovers

Frequently Paired Words

canapé horse's doovers

Synonyms

apéritif appetizer entrée starter tapa

Questions

How do you pronounce hors d'oeuvre?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɔɹˈdɝv/.
What does hors d'oeuvre mean?: A small, light, and usually savory first course in a meal.
Where does hors d'oeuvre come from?: Borrowed from French hors-d'œuvre.

How to pronounce hors d'oeuvre

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hors d'oeuvre”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌɔɹˈdɝv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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