What does dessert mean?
Word: Dessert
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Dessert means a sweet dish eaten at the end of a meal, such as ice cream or fruit custard.
Synonyms: sweet
Sounds like: desert (the verb, said like dessert, means to leave someone alone when they need you; the noun, said DEZ-ert, is a dry, sandy land)
How do you spell dessert?
Syllables: des - sert
Tricky part: Dessert has a double s. Desert, the dry sandy land, has only one, and the two are easily mixed up.
Watch out for: dezzert, dessirt
Memory tip: Write stressed backwards and you get desserts. Both have a double s, and a dessert is a good cure for a stressed day.
Dessert in a sentence
Example 1: For dessert, Grandma made hot apple pie.
Example 2: We were so full after the pasta that nobody ordered dessert.
Example 3: Jelly is a favourite dessert at many birthday parties.
Fun Fact
The word comes from the French desservir, to clear the table, because dessert was served after the main dishes had been taken away.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) delicous
b) restaurent
c) vanila
d) dessert
Show answer
d) dessert. Only dessert keeps every letter; restaurant, delicious and vanilla have each lost or changed one.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: dessert
a) appetiser
b) pudding
c) platter
d) starter
Show answer
b) pudding. In British English, pudding is another name for the sweet course at the end of a meal.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Mother said we could have dessart only after finishing the vegetables on our plates.
a) finishing
b) plates
c) dessart
d) vegetables
Show answer
c) dessart. The sweet course ends in sert, not sart.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
desserte
a) t
b) s
c) r
d) e
Show answer
d) e. Dessert stops at the t; no e follows it.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Pick the dish that is usually served as a dessert.
a) tomato soup
b) chocolate mousse
c) chips
d) garlic bread
Show answer
b) chocolate mousse
2. In a restaurant, the dessert menu is usually handed over ____.
a) after the main course is finished
b) before the starters arrive
c) while the table is being laid
d) as soon as you sit down
Show answer
a) after the main course is finished
