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starter

9 1.9

A small dish served before the main course to begin a meal

noun
/ˈstɑrtər/

: entrada

No, we just had some little starters dropped off as well.

This whole plate is just full of starters, including fried cheese.

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Examples

And this dish is usually served as a starter in Argentina.
At the fancy restaurant, the starter was a delectable smoked salmon dish that whetted our appetites.
For lunch, we usually order a starter each and share them.

Blog text (27)
Would sir care for a starter?

Trainspotting (1996)
They brought in the rest of our starters, the lobster sushi, the lobster salad, the lobster gazpacho with avocado.
For appetizers, we decided to order a refreshing salad as a starter for the meal.
They served a spicy shrimp cocktail as a starter, which everyone enjoyed before the main course.

Synonyms

appetizer

vsstarter

103 2.6

A small food or drink served before a main meal to make you hungry

is the first food course rather than including drinks

appy

vsstarter

Australian

1 9.9

A small starter dish served before the main meal in Australia and New Zealand

is the neutral widely used term rather than a regional informal name

entrada

vsstarter

8.2

A small dish served before the main course to start a meal

is the general first course not limited to one language region

light appetizer

vsstarter

3.2

A small not heavy dish served before the main meal to make you want to eat

is the broader first course term that may be heavier or richer

Compounds

conversation starter

7 3.5

Something that makes people start talking, like a topic or object

self-starter

2 5.6

A person who starts tasks without being told

starter motor

Specialized

1 4.0

An electric motor that turns a car engine to start it

kick starter

Specialized

4.7

A lever on a motorcycle you push with your foot to start the motor

non-starter

Informal

6.7

An idea or plan that has no chance of success

self-starter

Archaic

6.1

A motor that starts an engine by itself

How Filling

starter

9 1.9

bonne bouche

9.9

Surface Forms

starter singular

starters plural

Morphology

starter = start (transparent) = start + er

Food served to 'start' a meal; the relation to 'start' is literal and readily inferable as the first course.

Etymology

The word starter comes from the verb start ('to begin') plus -er ('thing that begins'). So a meal starter is the small dish that begins a meal and wakes your appetite before the main course.