hors-d'œuvre

See also: hors-d'oeuvre and hors d'oeuvre

English

Noun

hors-d'œuvre (plural hors-d'œuvre or hors-d'œuvres)

1. Alternative spelling of hors d'oeuvre

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French

Etymology

From hors (“outside”) +‎ d’ (“of”) +‎ œuvre (“work, the main course”).

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /ɔʁ.d‿œvʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

  IPA^(key): /œ̃ ɔʁ.d‿œvʁ/ (un hors-d'œuvre)

Noun

hors-d’œuvre m (plural hors-d’œuvre)

1. (cooking) appetizer, starter, hors d'oeuvre (small, light, and usually savory first course in a meal)
2. (architecture) extension, appurtenance (room of a building that is not part of the main structure)
3. (literature) digression (act of straying from the main subject that could be removed from the text without detriment to the main plot)
4. (figurative) addendum, extraneity, superfluity, accessory, hors-d'oeuvre (something additional or secondary to the main thing)

Adjective

hors-d’œuvre (invariable)

1. (architecture) stand-alone (standing apart from the main body of a building)
2. (literature) off-topic, digressive (not pertaining directly to the subject at hand)