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tablespoon

noun
/ˈteɪbəlˌspuːn/UK/ˈteɪbəlˌspun/US

Etymology

From table + spoon.

  1. derived from *(s)peH-✻ — “chip, shaving, log, length of wood”
  2. inherited from *spēnuz✻ — “chip, flake, shaving”
  3. inherited from *spānu✻
  4. inherited from spōn — “sliver, chip of wood, shaving”
  5. inherited from spoon
  6. formed as tablespoon — “table + spoon”

Definitions

  1. A large spoon, used for eating food from a bowl.

  2. A spoon too large for eating, usually used for cooking or serving.

  3. A unit of volume, the value of which varies regionally

    A unit of volume, the value of which varies regionally; in the US: three teaspoons or one half fluid ounce or roughly 15 ml; in Britain and Canada: exactly 15 ml; in Russia 18 ml; in Australia: four teaspoons or 20 ml.

    • 1995 May 22, Salad Recipes, New York, page 51, Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet until hot and quickly saute the goat-cheese buttons on both sides until brown.
    • In Australia, 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml, and there are 4 teaspoons in the Australian tablespoon.
    • 2006, Tempted: 150 Very Wicked Desserts, Murdoch Books, UK, copyright page, If you are using a 15 ml (3 teaspoon) tablespoon, for most recipes the difference will not be noticeable.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for tablespoon. 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