An appetizer is a small portion of food served before the main meal to stimulate your appetite and give you something tasty while you wait. The word comes from appetite, your desire for food, and appetizers are meant to awaken that desire rather than satisfy it completely.

At a restaurant, you might order mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, or a cup of soup as an appetizer before your burger or pasta arrives. At a dinner party, the host might set out a tray of cheese and crackers or vegetables with dip for guests to nibble on while the main course finishes cooking. These small dishes give everyone something to enjoy and help make waiting more pleasant.

The French call appetizers hors d'oeuvres (say “or-DERV”), which literally means “outside the work,” suggesting they're separate from the main effort of the meal. Americans sometimes call them starters for the obvious reason that they start the meal.

A good appetizer should be flavorful enough to be interesting but light enough that you still have room for dinner. If you fill up completely on appetizers, you've missed the point. Think of them as the opening act before the main performance.