smorgasbord English · revision 1636

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈsmɔːɡəsˌbɔːd/ ''(UK)''; /ˈsmɔɹɡəsˌbɔɹd/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|sv|smörgåsbord]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from ''smörgås'' “bread and butter, open sandwich”^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) and ''bord'' “table”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) ''Smörgås'' is itself from ''smör'' “butter” and dialectal ''gås'' “lump of butter”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995) literally “goose”.^(AHD)^(Etymonline) The elements are related to [[smear]], [[goose]] and [[board]].^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Swedish hors d'oeuvres served as a cold table of open sandwiches and assorted delicacies (1893, or 1879 in Merriam-Webster).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word came to mean any buffet with a wide selection of hot and cold dishes.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary) The figurative sense of a medley or rich variety of things is recorded from 1948.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1879 – Merriam-Webster's date.^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1893 – the Swedish buffet.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1948 – a medley or miscellany.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[buffet]] meal offering many hot and cold dishes, such as [[hors d'oeuvre|alt=hors d'oeuvres]], meats, fish, cheeses and salads.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A large and varied collection; a [[medley]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[buffet]]

+ * [[smear]]

+ * [[goose]]

+ * [[board]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}