dessert plate
1
1.0
- noun
- /dɪˈzɜrt pleɪt/
:
plato de postre
- Use the smallest plate you can find (think dessert plate).
- tarts on dessert plates
- glass dessert plates
- eight dessert plates
Examples
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Maddy shrugs and reaches into the cupboard for dessert plates, the fine ones her mother had given them for their wedding.
Academic text (2011) -
So we'll create our own dessert plate as we go along.
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My six-year-old carefully got the cheesecake out of the box and placed a slice on each dessert plate.
Blog text (3) -
So, too, were the Tollhouse cookies her mother had put on a dessert plate in the sunny alcove overlooking the back garden.
Fiction book (2000) -
Her hands trembled as she undid the ribbons and the wrapping, opened the box, folded back the white tissue paper, and lifted up one of four Miss America depression-glass dessert plates.
Fiction book (2001) -
To serve, arrange the chocolate mousse on individual dessert plates for a delightful presentation.
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The chef carefully placed a slice of cheesecake on each dessert plate before serving.
-
After dinner, we served fresh fruit and sorbet on elegant dessert plates to complete the meal.
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small plate for serving dessert' is directly and compositionally derived from 'dessert' (final sweet course) + 'plate' (a dish), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the compound's meaning. This noun–noun compounding pattern is common across languages and follows a straightforward modifier-head relation, making the MWE immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
The compound noun dessert plate comes from the simple image of a small plate brought out for dessert after the main meal. So, it means 'a small plate designed for serving dessert'.