cater

verb

/ˈkeɪtə/UK/ˈkeɪɾɚ/US/ˈkeʈə(ɾ)//ˈkeɪtəɹ/US

Etymology

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.

derived from acheter — “to buy, to purchase”
inherited from catour

Definitions

1
To provide, particularly
- Noe widdowes curse caters a dish of mine.
- Huludao’s Xingcheng county and two districts have ordered entertainment venues such as theatres and cinemas to close, while restaurants are not to offer banqueting services or cater for large gatherings.
2
To provide
- I catered for her bat mitzvah.
- His company catered our wedding.
- He that doth the Rauens feede, Yea prouidently caters for the Sparrow.
3
Synonym of acater
Synonym of acater: an officer who purchased cates (food supplies) for the steward of a large household or estate.
- I am oure Catour and bere oure Alther purse.
- Rec. for iij calvys off þe cater of Crystis Cherche.
›+ 8 more definitionsshow fewer
1. 4
  Synonym of caterer
  Synonym of caterer: any provider of food.
  - Of his diete catour was scarsite...
2. 5
  Synonym of purveyor
  Synonym of purveyor: any provider of anything.
  - The eye is loues Cator.
3. 6
  To place, set, move, or cut diagonally or rhomboidally.
  - The trees are set checkerwise, and so catred [Latin: partim in quincuncem directis], as looke which way ye wyl, they lye leuel.
  - ‘Cater’ across the rails ever so cleverly, you cannot escape jolt and jar.
4. 7
  Diagonally.
  - Cater and Cater-cornered, diagonal; diagonally. To ‘cut cater’ in the case of velvet, cloth, etc., is... ‘cut on the cross’. Cater-snozzle, to make an angle; to ‘mitre’.
5. 8
  Four.
  - The auditour... cometh in with sise sould, and cater denere, for vi.s. and iiii.d.
6. 9
  The four of cards or dice.
  - Cater is a very good caste.
7. 10
  A method of ringing nine bells in four pairs with a ninth tenor bell.
  - The very terms of the art are enough to frighten an amateur. Hunting, dodging... caters, cinques, etc.
  - Cater... The name given by change ringers to changes of nine bells. The word should probably be written quaters, as it is meant to denote the fact that four couples of bells change their places in the order of ringing.
8. A surname originating as an occupation.

The neighborhood

Derived

caterer, cateress, cater-waiter, catery, self-catering, self-catered, cater-point, cater-trey

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for cater. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA