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When a French word isn't quite what it seems ...
In the April newsletter, you saw that many, many French terms pop up on American English menus. However, sometimes they can be deceptive—just because the terms come from French doesn't mean they also have the same meaning in the modern French language. For example, if you thought that the English word entrée, commonly used to mean main course in American English, came from French, you would be right! However, did you know that in French, entrée doesn't mean main course but rather appetizer or starter? Kind of a big difference, isn't it? The word itself comes from the French verb entrer, which means to enter, so it makes sense that the French use the word to refer to a starter or first course. (Also, in French, the feminine noun entrée can mean entrance or access in addition to appetizer.) So how did the term come to mean something so different in the United States? If you're interested in finding out, there are some explanations online as to how this might have happened. Whatever the reason, just make sure that if you travel to a French-speaking country you don't order an entrée as your main course! To order a main course from a French menu, look under plat principal (main course) instead. Tags: dining, food, French, newsletter
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