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serving dish

serving dish

3 1.0
A dish used to hold food for people to share at the table
  • noun
  • /ˈsɜrvɪŋ dɪʃ/
translation icon : plato de servir
  • 4. Transfer the stew into a decorative serving dish, if desired.
  • transfer to a serving dish
  • spoon into a serving dish
  • place the serving dish

Examples

  • Mother poured a steaming pot of spaghetti into a serving dish and set it on the table.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Plate the salad greens on a serving dish or large bowl.

    Blog text (4)
  • - Can you get the two big serving dishes?

  • Jim, we need a serving dish.

  • My mother started filling serving dishes with food from the stove.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • A number of serving dishes and plates on the table indicate the completion of their meal.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • When the cheese has melted into the sauce, bring it to the table in a serving dish.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Pour the mixture into ramekins, custard cups, or other serving dishes of your choosing.

    Blog text (15)
  • Someone handed him a serving dish containing vitreous disks labeled "peanut butter," "jelly," "bread," "tea," "cheese," "carrots."

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Mother poured a steaming pot of spaghetti into a serving dish and set it on the table.

Synonyms

platter
vsserving dish
73 1.5

A large flat shallow dish for serving food

is a general vessel for presenting food at the table rather than flat
chafing dish
vsserving dish
4 6.4

A metal pan on a small heater used to cook or keep food hot at the table

is a general table vessel for presenting food not mainly for heating
gravy boat
vsserving dish
4 2.0

A small dish with a spout for pouring sauce over food

is a general vessel for presenting food rather than a spouted pourer
butter dish
vsserving dish
2 1.2

A small dish with a lid for keeping and serving butter at the table

is a general table vessel for food presentation rather than for a single spread
paten
vsserving dish
  • Archaic
9.9

A shallow dish used long ago for holding or serving food

is a common modern vessel for presentation not specifically archaic
gravy holder
vsserving dish
3.5

A long dish like a small boat for serving gravy

is a general table vessel rather than a small pourer for sauces

How Big

platter
73 1.5
serving dish
3 1.0
saucer
22 1.0

Surface Forms

serving dish singular

Morphology

serve + dish

The meaning 'a dish used for presenting and serving food' is directly and compositionally derived from 'serve' (to offer/present food) + 'dish' (a vessel for food); the -ing form functions as a modifier describing the dish's purpose. This is a common, cross-linguistically transparent noun phrase pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.

Etymology

Serving dish comes from the simple idea of a serving dish: a plate or bowl put on the table so people can 'serve' themselves or be given food. That's why it means 'a dish for presenting and handing out food'.