cater
English · Thesaurus
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cater¹
- /ˈkeɪtə/ UK
- /ˈkeɪɾɚ/ US
- /ˈkeʈə(ɾ)/ South Asia
- /ˈkaʈə(ɾ)/ South Asia
Rhymes with -eɪtə(ɹ), (South Asia, also) -ætə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English catour (“acater, provisioner”), aphetic form of acatour (“acater”), from Old French acater (“to buy, to purchase”). Equivalent to cate + -er.
verb caters · catering · catered
- To provide, particularly Noe widdowes curse caters a dish of mine.
- To provide with food, especially for a special occasion as a professional service. I catered for her bat mitzvah.
- To provide anything required or desired, often (derogatory) to pander. I always wanted someone to cater to my every whim.
- To tailor something to an intended audience. The business caters for young professionals.
noun caters · catour · cator · kater · chator
-
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.
Similar: acater
-
Synonym of caterer: any provider of food.
Of his diete catour was scarsite...
Similar: caterer
-
Synonym of purveyor: any provider of anything.
The eye is loues Cator.
Similar: purveyor
cater²
Where it comes from
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.
verb caters · catering · catered
- 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.
adverb
- 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’.
cater³
- /ˈkeɪtə/ UK
- /ˈkatə/ UK
- /ˈkeɪtəɹ/ US
Where it comes from
From French quatre (“four”). Doublet of cuatro.
noun caters · catre · quatre
- Four. The auditour... cometh in with sise sould, and cater denere, for vi.s. and iiii.d.
- The four of cards or dice. Cater is a very good caste.
- 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.
Cater⁴
Where it comes from
Occupational surname, from cater, obsolete form of caterer.
proper noun Caters · Cator
- A surname originating as an occupation.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ply, supply, provide, absorb, cover, suit, fulfil, tackle, handle, fill, occupy, reflect, face, host, address, meet
Translations
Every language
verb provide anything required or desired
| Español | complacer, acorrer |
|---|---|
| Português | prover, servir, satisfazer |
| Français | pourvoir, satisfaire |
| Deutsch | versorgen |
| Русский | обслу́живать obslúživatʹ, угожда́ть ugoždátʹ, потво́рствовать potvórstvovatʹ |
verb to provide food for a special occasion as a professional service
| Español | proveer comida para, hacer el catering, hacer la banquetería, ser el banquetero |
|---|---|
| Français | faire traiteur |
| Русский | обслу́живать obslúživatʹ, обеспе́чивать obespéčivatʹ |
Talk about this word "cater." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cater. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cater. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cater "cater." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cater.Cite this
@misc{cater_2026,
title = {cater},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cater},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
