viands

1 9.9

Different cooked foods served at a meal

noun
/ˈvaɪ.əndz/

Archaic

: viandas

The table was laden with a variety of viands prepared for the festival.

Examples

She prepared several delicious viands for the guests.
The table was filled with viands for the feast.
At the banquet, guests were invited to sample the many delicious viands.
They stocked the pantry with enough viands to last through the winter.
At the banquet, guests were invited to sample the many delicious viands.
The table was laden with a variety of viands prepared for the festival.
She prepared several delicious viands for the guests.

Synonyms

eats

vsviands

Informal

14 7.9

Food or a meal, often mentioned in informal speech

is more formal and used in polite or literary contexts

victuals

vsviands

Archaic

1 9.1

Food and drink kept or prepared to eat

is narrower, meaning prepared dishes served at a meal

How Substantial

feast

179 1.9

meal

∞ 1.0

viands

Archaic

1 9.9

dish

467 1.0

snack

440 1.0

Surface Forms

viand singular

viands plural

Etymology

Viands comes from Old French viande, which meant 'meat' or 'food' and goes back to the Latin root vivere 'to live'. So viands are the foods you eat to live, and this link to 'live' helps explain why the word means prepared food or dishes at a meal.