Desert, Dessert
Dessert is the final course, usually sweet, of a meal.
Dessert has its roots in the French language. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word developed in the mid-16th century from the French words des, meaning the last course or removal, and servir, meaning to serve. So, desservir meant to clear the table or to remove the previous courses. It came to refer to the dish, usually sweets, served after the main course had been removed from the table.
Desert can be used as a noun or a verb. Each is pronounced differently, but both are derived from Latin. As a noun, desert refers to a dry, arid region, which is not likely to be confused with dessert. The noun desert is derived from the Latin word desertum, meaning something left to waste or a wasteland.
The verb desert, meaning to leave or abandon, comes from the word desertus, which also means to leave or abandon. (Both desertus and desertum are different cases of the same Latin word.)
(Description and image from ThoughtCo.) |