cater
To provide, particularlyTo provide, particularly
» I arranged catering for tomorrow's party.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
5 sensesTo provide, particularly
To provide
(ambitransitive)To provide with food, especially for a special occasion as a professional service.
I catered for her bat mitzvah.
His company catered our wedding.
обслу́живатьobslúživatʹ, обеспе́чиватьobespéčivatʹ
обслуго́вуватиobsluhóvuvaty, обслужи́тиobslužýty
(figuratively, intransitive)To provide anything required or desired, often (derogatory) to pander.
I always wanted someone to cater to my every whim.
versorgen
обслу́живатьobslúživatʹ, угожда́тьugoždátʹ, потво́рствоватьpotvórstvovatʹ
обслуго́вуватиobsluhóvuvaty, обслужи́тиobslužýty
(figuratively, intransitive)To tailor something to an intended audience.
The business caters for young professionals.
(UK, dialectal)To place, set, move, or cut diagonally or rhomboidally.
- supply food ready to eat; for parties and banquets
- give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance
Examples
23 sentencesI arranged catering for tomorrow's party.
You're catering to his every whim.
ruТы потакаешь всем его капризам. — marafon
This restaurant does not cater for vegans.
ruЭтот ресторан не обслуживает веганов. — odexed · CC BY 2.0 FR
Mennad's company brought in catered meals on holidays.
This is a store that caters specially to students.
ruЭтот магазин ориентируется на обслуживание студентов. — wondersz1
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English catour (“acater, provisioner”), aphetic form of acatour (“acater”), frFrom Middle English catour (“acater, provisioner”), aphetic form of acatour (“acater”), from Old French acater (“to buy, to purchase”). Equivalent to cate + -er.
Probably ultimately from French quatre (“four”), possibly via cater (“change-ringing”), although Liberman argues for a derivation from a North Germanic prefix meaning "crooked, angled, clumsy" from which he also derives cater-cousin and, via Norse, Old Irish cittach (“left-handed, awkward”). He finds this more likely than extension of the dice and change-ringing term cater as an adverb, given the likely cognates in other Germanic languages. Caterpillar and caterwaul are unrelated, being derived from cognates to cat, but may have influenced the pronunciation of Liberman's proposed earlier *cate- or undergone similar sound changes.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
caters, catering, catered, cateredSynonyms
3 synonymsWord family
6 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.